Go the Distance
by kenner
Summary: When everything seems to go wrong at the end of his fourth year at Hogwarts, Severus finds himself in a place he wouldn't have expected.
1. Twisted Nightmare

Go the Distance

_AU—This starts at the Easter holidays during Severus' fourth year at Hogwarts and assumes that at some point before he started school Eileen left Tobias and took Severus to live with her parents._

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters._

There was a howl of laughter off to his left, and Severus twisted to see Lupin and Potter pretending to shove Black off the platform and onto the tracks while Pettigrew cheered them on. He spared a moment to hope that at least one of them would lose his grip and send Black tumbling to his death—well, his severe bruising, at least—before returning his attention to his trunk. The Merlin-be-damned thing was _heavy_, not to mention awkward, and the Ministry's idiotic underage-magic rule meant that he couldn't simply hover it along beside him like any reasonable wizard would. The Hogwarts Express had already left, and he scanned the crowd for his mother. She'd sounded a bit…off…in her last letter, the main reason he was visiting instead of remaining at Hogwarts for the holidays as he was accustomed to doing, but he couldn't believe that anything would keep her from meeting the train.

"Boy!"

And then again, maybe something had. He couldn't help a wince at the teeth-grating sound of his grandmother's voice. "I've lived with you for nearly five years, and you still can't remember my name?" Her eyes narrowed as he approached, despite the fact that she couldn't possibly have heard his muttered words, and he smoothed his expression into one of bland compliance. "Grandmother."

"Hurry up; I've better things to do with my time than ferry you about."

Precisely what, Severus wasn't sure…counting the Prince fortune, perhaps? Entertaining guests of dubious virtue? Sniping at his mother? Most probably the last, it certainly seemed to be her primary form of entertainment. He didn't let any of that show on his face, though, as he dragged his trunk along in her wake. She was already all too quick to 'correct' him when she felt his manners didn't uphold the family honor, and she could get frighteningly creative when she so chose. Of course, his very _existence_ didn't precisely uphold the family honor, so…. As soon as they were clear of the crowd, she rested her fingertips lightly on his shoulder, making the minimal contact necessary for Apparition, and took them to the border of the Prince estate. He resumed dragging his trunk—of course she couldn't possibly bother to hover it—across the lawn and up to the door.

Ese, the only house-elf here who actually seemed to like him, took it as soon as he crossed the threshold. "Young Master will wish to be seeing young Mistress now?"

'Young Mistress' being his mother, of course; Ese had been here for at least a few years before she had even been born. "Please, where is Mum?"

"In her rooms, sir."

Severus frowned, but—after making certain that neither of his grandparents was within earshot—took the stairs two and three at a time until he reached the third floor and her suite of rooms. "Mum?"

"In here, Sevvie."

If anyone else had ever called him that he'd have hexed them into next Tuesday, but when she did it almost always made him smile. His smile faded as he pushed through the heavy double-doors and into her bedchamber and realized that she was still in her nightdress, propped up in her bed against a stack of pillows.

"I swear you've grown at least another inch," she said with a smile, forestalling any questions he might have asked. "Come here; let me have a look at you."

He went, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed to give her a hug. "Mum? Is something wrong?"

She sighed and looked away. "I've just been a little tired lately. I'm so glad you were able to come home for the holiday. How has school been? Have those boys been bothering you again?"

He'd mentioned the Moronic Marauders a time or two—it was impossible not to, as tied up as they were in his school life—but she had no idea of the true enmity between them. And he had no intention of enlightening her. "I see them around, a bit."

She didn't look entirely convinced but did let the subject drop. "And your classes?"

"Well enough, I suppose. I'm top of the class in potions." As he had been since he'd started school, in fact he was probably at the level of several of the NEWT students. Unfortunately Hogwarts had a ridiculous policy in which students weren't permitted to take classes beyond their year levels. "Probably Defense too, but I'm not sure. Arithmancy is going well also, although Ancient Runes is still rather dull, and I think I'm going to drop Divination after this year." He'd been tempted to take Muggle Studies as a fourth elective for the sole purpose of irritating his pureblood-fanatic grandparents, but common sense had reasserted itself in time for him to remember that their irritation tended to be hazardous to his health. Not to mention the fact that his housemates would be…less than pleased…as well.

"I'd thought you might," she said with a smile, and he rolled his eyes.

"You couldn't have mentioned that it was a completely useless course _before_ I enrolled?"

"I expected you'd drop it after last year, actually. Why didn't you?"

"I'd heard a rumor that Professor Appolonia was going to retire. Unfortunately, it appears that that's all it was."

"And what about Transfiguration?"

He made a face. "Well, I suspect I won't have to worry about _it_ after next year." McGonagall wouldn't accept anyone in her NEWT level classes who didn't have at least an E on their OWLs, and at the rate he was going if he managed an A it would be by the skin of his teeth.

"Well, it was never my favorite class either," she said, waving it off. "Now why don't you go and get changed out of your school things and we'll take a walk before dinner?"

It didn't take but a moment before he was back at the door to her rooms, and she appeared a moment later in her usual blouse and skirt. Still a bit pale, to his eyes, but before he could ask she mentioned an article in the latest issue of the _Continental Potions Journal_ that distracted him until they'd made it nearly halfway around the grounds. "Mum? You're shivering."

"It's nothing, Sevvie, just a bit of a chill."

"Shall I run back and fetch you a cardigan?" She wasn't a particularly powerful witch, one of the things that his grandparents continually harped upon, and though he could _Accio_ one easily enough—assuming that bloody underage-magic edict wasn't in effect—it would be more difficult for her.

"No, no, that's not necessary. Why don't we go on back up to the house? Your grandparents will expect us to dress for dinner."

'Dressing for dinner' as far as his grandparents were concerned meant formal dress that did nothing to make him feel more comfortable in this place, but then nothing they did made him comfortable so that was hardly unusual. At least there would be no chance of a hex from across the room striking him in the face and giving him green fur for the rest of the day. Bloody Potter menace.

The rest of the holiday passed quickly, and all-too soon he was standing on the train platform, waiting for the Hogwarts Express. Mother had brought him herself, this time, for which he was greatful, and even better all four of the Brainless Bunch seemed to be late. Maybe they'd miss the train.

"You take care of yourself," his mother was saying, and he turned his attention back to her quickly. "And be sure to owl."

"Mum, I'll be back for the summer in barely three months." Her arms crossed, and he gave in. "I promise I'll write."

"Good." The train pulled up, and she hugged him quickly. "Go on, then."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus glared at the ugly little creature on the table in front of him. It was _supposed_ to be a pincushion by now, but so far all he'd succeeded in doing was replacing the hedgehog's relatively harmless quills with sharp metal ones. His failure was compounded by the fact that over to his left a heated argument was in progress over whether or not a Lupin's multi-colored pincushion took more or less talent than Pettigrew's tree-shaped one.

The door to the classroom opened, and he spared a moment to hope that perhaps the Venomous Tentacula had gotten hold of another curious first year and McGonagall would be called in to help, thus saving him from the rest of this lesson. Unfortunately it was only a Ravenclaw prefect, and he appeared to be doing nothing more than delivering a note.

"Mr. Snape?" she called after reading the parchment quickly. "The headmaster would like to see you."

"What did you do now, Snivellus?" Black hissed, shooting a pleased smile in his direction.

Normally Severus would have a snide response prepared, but for once he didn't actually know what he might be being summoned for. It had only been two weeks since the holidays had ended and since the Marauders had seemed to be too busy catching up on the work they hadn't bothered to do to harass him, he'd left them alone as well. Of course, it was possible that they'd simply been lulling him into a false sense of security all the while setting him up…. Well, nothing to be done about it now, although as soon as Dumbledore was finished lecturing him he was going to see to it that they didn't have a moment's peace for the rest of the year.

"Severus, come in," Dumbledore said, his face uncharacteristically serious. "Please, take a seat."

That didn't sound like the start of a telling-off, and Severus sank into the chair cautiously.

"I'm afraid we just received a message from St. Mungos." He hesitated a moment before handing over a folded note. "I'm sorry."

Severus stared at him for a moment and then opened the parchment. "We regret to inform you…rapid onset…no cure…." His voice trailed off as he read the name of the patient. Eileen Prince. "I…but…."

"You can Floo home from here. Take as much time as you need."

"No. I just saw her—she was fine." Too pale, and more tired than her activities could account for, but…. "She was fine." He pulled away automatically as something touched his shoulder. "We're going to finish the Gobstones tournament over the summer. We were going to finish the last morning I was home, but I had to finish my Herbology essay." _He'd_ been willing to put it off, hurry through it on the train, but she was a mum and therefore insisted that schoolwork had to come first.

"Severus…."

"No!" He didn't have to sit here and listen to this nonsense.

"Here's the Floo powder. I'm sure your—grandparents?—will be waiting for you at home."

Severus stood abruptly, knocking the chair over. "I'm going to St. Mungo's. She's fine; I'll show you!"

He didn't actually remember the Floo trip, or, for that matter, finding the room his mother was in. "M-Mum?" It was private, at least. That was good, she always preferred the quiet.

She didn't move.

"Mum, it's Sevvie." He approached the bed slowly. "Mum?" Her eyes were closed, and he told himself firmly that she was just asleep. She'd been tired lately, maybe he should just let her rest. Except…no, of course she'd want to see him, even if it had been just a few weeks since they'd said goodbye. She was the one who owled once a week whether or not there was any news to tell him, just to ask how he was feeling. His jaw tightened. Whoever sent that letter that said she was dead was going to get a _nasty_ Howler as soon as she found out. "Mum, wake up." He touched her cheek lightly and had a moment to register a chill before everything went black.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

He awoke to the sound of fussing above his head, and it took several minutes for him to recognize that he was in St. Mungo's. And then several more to remember why, and he pushed himself upright quickly.

"Easy," the mediwitch said, pressing on his shoulders lightly. "I'm afraid you took a nasty knock to the head when you fainted."

"I need to see my mother."

"Your mother was Eileen Prince?"

"My mother _is_ Eileen Prince," he corrected with a snarl.

The woman gave him a sympathetic look and patted his arm. "I know, dear, it's a shock. Your grandparents will be coming to pick up the body shortly; you'll be able to go home with them. You'll feel better when you're with family."

Severus stared at her for a moment and then lay back down on the bed. This wasn't real. It was all some sort of sick, twisted nightmare and he was going to wake up and there was going to be an owl sitting on his bedpost with a letter and a box of treats from Mum. She'd said in her last letter that she'd found a new recipe for gingers nuts and would send a few along if they turned out well.

Part of him continued to believe that as he accompanied Grandfather home, helped prepare the house for a reception, stood for a eulogy that flowed over him without a single word actually registering…. He was still numb when Grandfather practically threw him through the Floo and into the headmaster's study at Hogwarts.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked, looking up from a stack of parchments. "I didn't expect to see you back for at least another week. Are you sure you don't want to spend more time with your family? With your grandparents?"

What an idiotic question; he _never_ wanted to spend time with his grandparents. But he'd realized in his first year that calling the headmaster an idiot—even when he was behaving like one—wasn't particularly wise, so he simply shook his head and pushed himself to his feet.

"All right, then, if you're sure. Why don't you go down to the dungeons and get yourself settled back in? Tomorrow is soon enough to restart your classes. All your professors have been notified and will help you get caught up on anything you missed."

"Yes, sir." Although Severus wondered just how much he could possibly have missed in two days.

"I…if there's anything you need, be sure to let someone know. Myself, one of the other professors…."

"Yes, sir," Severus repeated, escaping before Dumbledore could say anything else.


	2. Flight

Go the Distance

_Yes, I know this chapter is slightly formulaic, particularly in the beginning. Sorry, but it needed to be done._

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters._

The train came to a halt, but Severus made no move to get to his feet. There was no reason to. He'd gone through the last few months of the school year in a sort of daze—after all, he almost never saw her during the school year—but as the final days had ticked away he hadn't been able to tear his mind away from the fact that there was no way that Mum would be the one to pick him up for the summer. Mum wasn't at home, anymore, and never would be again, and without her…. Well, his grandparents certainly wouldn't care if he didn't come back. Whoever had lost the coin toss and had to come to pick him up would probably be annoyed that they'd wasted all of ten minutes of their precious time, but beyond that they wouldn't spare a second thought.

"You planning to sit here all summer, Snivellous?" Potter asked with a smirk as he and Lupin passed by his compartment, but both of them seemed in a hurry to catch up with the other two members of the Prat Patrol and didn't wait around for an answer. Just as well, Severus didn't have one and wasn't in the mood to come up with something clever. A blast on the horn a few minutes later indicated that the conductor was preparing to pull out, and with a sigh he grabbed a handle on his trunk and began to wrestle it towards the exit.

"Hurry up, boy, get moving," a weedy voice snapped as soon as he cleared the stairs.

"Grandfather," Severus said evenly. The older man's expression didn't fade from its annoyed frown as Severus approached, but then Severus hadn't expected it to.

"Move," the man repeated.

Refraining from pointing out that he'd be moving much more quickly if his grandfather would actually _help_ him, Severus shifted his grip on the trunk handle and did his best to step a bit more quickly. Unlike his grandmother who preferred to keep physical contact to a minimum, his grandfather's method of side-along apparition was to dig his fingers into his shoulder deep enough to leave bone bruises and finish with a shove as soon as they'd arrived.

Severus escaped to his room as soon as they reached the house, throwing himself down on his bed. "Yes, this is shaping up to be a _wonderful _summer." His door flew open, and he twisted to stare in surprise at his grandmother. Neither of his grandparents ever came in here…they didn't even come upstairs the majority of the time. The hesitation cost him, and he writhed in pain for a moment.

"You'll remember your manners, boy."

He gritted his teeth and rose to his feet.

"Better." She surveyed him through narrowed eyes, still managing to look down her nose at him despite the fact that he stood at least four inches taller than she did. "Your mother was far too indulgent with you. While you're under this roof, you'll show proper respect."

This clearly wasn't the time to point out that he didn't actually have any respect for her, so Severus kept his mouth shut.

"From now on you'll be on a much tighter leash, I'll tell you that right now. None of this lazing about with your nose in a book—no doubt your mudblood father encouraged that sort of behavior, but we expect you to earn your keep."

It was becoming harder to hold his tongue, particularly when he considered the fact that he wasn't even certain that his father had been able to read any words with more than six letters. _How_ these people could possibly be related to his mother was utterly beyond him; if their looks hadn't been so similar he'd have seriously wondered if they'd taken the right baby home from St. Mungos with them.

"Your mother didn't have the spine to—"

"_Don't_ talk about her," Severus snarled, and then realized that she'd been trying to provoke him as she spit another curse in his direction, sending him to his knees. She was gone before he'd managed to rise again, and he glared at them empty doorframe. "Yes, a most wonderful summer."

Dinner was a cold affair, as it always was in this house, but he felt it far worse than he ever had before without his mother's comforting presence on the other side of the table. The only reason he managed to keep from earning further punishment was by letting his grandparents' words wash over him without truly hearing any of them. Grandfather had done most of the talking, from what little had registered he'd been lecturing Severus about his dress, his manners, his deportment…all manner of things that Severus didn't actually care about and didn't intend to change. They'd no doubt get bored with him soon enough and leave him be, just as they did every other summer.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus rubbed his shoulder, soothing the scar that was all that remained of his grandfather's last reprimand. It had been almost two weeks and they still hadn't gotten bored…in fact they seemed to be becoming even more creative in finding things to punish him for. And ways to punish him. Out of desperation he'd set up a miniature potions lab in his closet and had convinced Ese to smuggle him a few ingredients that he hadn't been able to scrounge up on his own. He wasn't making anything particularly complicated, mostly bruise salve and sealant for cuts. The two back cauldrons held skel-e-grow and blood replenishing potion, however. He hadn't needed to resort to either of them yet, but he had a horrible suspicion that he would before the summer was out. Possibly before the month was out, the way things were progressing. If he thought he had even half a chance of tricking them into drinking it he'd have seriously considered working on something poisonous, but….

The obnoxious bell-shaped creation sitting on his bedside table clanged, and he twisted to give it the nastiest glare he could manage. His grandmother had brought the thing in; it was their means of summoning him. Although what they could want with him now…the two of them normally retired to their rooms after dinner, leaving him relatively free in the evenings. Depending what chores they'd set him, of course, but anytime they weren't around was automatically better than when they were. Unfortunately, keeping them waiting had earned him more than one punishment in the past—even when his mother had been alive—and taking a moment to straighten his robes he made his way down the stairs quickly. The door to his grandfather's study was open, and he stepped inside. Grandmother came in behind him, and he did his best to shift sideways without it being noticeable. He didn't like having either of them where he couldn't see them.

"We received your grades this evening." Grandfather's tone was perfectly controlled, giving nothing away.

They would be arriving about now, Severus acknowledged. OWLs and NEWTs obviously took longer to score, but for the rest of the years it was only a matter of assembling each student's individual course results and owling them off to the appropriate parents. He'd known his results since the exam scores had come back almost a week before they'd left school.

The man's face went from blank to furious suddenly. "This is abysmal!" He slammed the parchment down on the table. "I thought we made it clear that you are expected to represent this family appropriately!"

Severus did his best to sneak a peek at the grades that had been sent out—he'd managed O's in Potions, Defense, Herbology, Charms, and Arithmancy, E's in Ancient Runes, Astronomy, and wonder of wonders History of Magic, and had somehow scraped by with an A in transfiguration although it was more likely because McGonagall had felt bad for him than anything else, which meant that his only truly abysmal grade was a D in divination—but the man's hand was covering them. And frankly, from the man's stance, he had more important things to worry about than a scrap of parchment.

"It isn't enough that that worthless, ungrateful daughter of ours had to go out and wed a mudblood, not enough that she brought her whelp back here to shame us in front of our peers, now we have to deal with this kind of worthless…." He threw his hands up in the air, apparently at a loss for words, and then brought them down quickly. "Well, we'll deal with _this_ now. She might not have given us a proper heir, but the day someone with this kind of—"

Afterwards, Severus couldn't be entirely sure what happened next. His grandfather's hand had closed on his wand and he just _reacted_, lashing out with wandless magic in a way he hadn't since he was seven years old to knock the thing away. There was a sound from behind him and he spun, catching his grandmother's arm as she brought her own wand forward and shoving her away with purely physical force. Apparently he'd put more than he realized behind it, because she crashed to the ground as he barreled out of the study. He didn't stop in the hall, continuing his headlong flight out the front door and across the grounds, not slowing until he was at the creek separating the Prince estate from their nearest neighbors. The water soaking his trousers and seeping into his boots, still chill despite the fact that it was summer, brought him back to reality. He'd just injured his grandparents. If not physically then certainly their pride had taken a blow, and if he went back now…. He shivered, and it had nothing to do with the water temperature. They'd kill him. They'd kill him if he was _lucky_; if he wasn't they'd manage something even worse. He didn't care to contemplate just what that could be.

His wand was tucked into his back pocket, of course, but other than that he had nothing but the clothes on his back. Sparing a moment to be grateful that he hadn't yet changed for bed—as bad as it was to be wandering about in the dark with no place to go in his shirt and trousers, doing so in his pyjamas would be considerably worse—he considered his options. He had to get off the Prince estate, obviously; to that effect he continued across the creek until he reached the other bank. "Further would be better." Not that the Lestranges had particularly close ties with the Prince family, but they did occasionally come over for tea and might be convinced to help hunt down a missing grandson. Knowing Rab and Roddy they'd be more than happy to help—he'd wondered more than once during his time at Hogwarts if the concept of house loyalty was something either of them understood. He shook his head. This was getting him nowhere. At the very least he needed to find somewhere to spend the night, somewhere where no one would think to look, and tomorrow he could do some more serious planning. Vague memories of a sketched map of the countryside were all he had to go on, and with a sigh he began what he suspected would be a long hike toward what should be a muggle town. From there he'd be able to catch a bus to muggle London which led, conveniently, to Diagon Alley. He debated trying the Knight Bus, but aside from the fact that he had no money it would be far too easy to track.

'Long hike' had been an optimistic statement…the sun was topping the hill when he finally reached a paved road with signs indicating human habitation somewhere close, and sneaking onto a bus proved far more troublesome than he'd thought. If a group of school-age muggles in some sort of bizarre looking uniforms hadn't been going in that direction as well he'd never have managed. As it was he was subjected to a hideously long and involved group discussion of crickets that didn't seem to behave in the same manner as any insect _he'd_ ever observed.

Diagon Alley was a relief, despite the fact that the crowds were starting to appear by the time he got there and Severus slightly-disheveled appearance and muddy boots were drawing a few more stares than he'd have preferred. He used the public toilet in the Leaky Cauldron to make himself a bit more presentable, but the smells in the tavern made him uncomfortable aware of his empty stomach and he left before its grumbling could give him away. His options at this point were…limited.

Option one: go back to his grandparents' and take whatever punishment they deemed appropriate. He might not have much of a life, but all the same he wasn't interested in throwing it away so carelessly.

Option two: as far as he knew his father still lived at Spinner's End, and aside from the distance there was nothing to stop him from returning there. There was, unfortunately, the…distinct possibility…that that wouldn't be any better for his health than going back to his grandparents would be. Severus' didn't have any particularly pleasant memories of him—rather the majority were the opposite, in fact—and he and Mum certainly hadn't left on the best terms.

Option three: well, option three was still undetermined. He didn't have any particularly close friends at school, certainly no one he could just drop in on suddenly never mind expect to house and feed him for the foreseeable future. That meant that he would have to house and feed himself somehow, obviously…and that meant that he needed money.

"Who's going to hire a fifteen year old?" he muttered under his breath as he moved with the crowd and tried not to draw attention to himself. "Especially a fourth year who hasn't even sat his OWLs yet?" If he had his grade sheet with him he _might_ be able to make the case that he would certainly earn several, but he didn't, and he had no convincing story as to why. He turned down Knockturn Alley, automatically giving the entrance to Borgin and Burkes a wide berth. _Things_ were known to snatch at you if you got a bit too close. His stomach twisted again, and he glared at the door of the dingy-looking restaurant. From now on he was going to keep at least a sickle or two in his pockets at all times. Assuming, of course, that he could find somewhere to earn those sickles.

For lack of anything better to do he continued down the alley, noting where the shops began to fall into disrepair and in the case of one or two outright abandonment. There weren't so many people here…with a quick glance to either side he slipped into a narrower alley between a shop claiming to be an apothecary and what had once been 'Arden's Imports' according to the sign overhead. When a second, more careful, glance didn't reveal any curious onlookers, he pushed through the badly-boarded side door of the import shop. As he'd suspected from the façade it had been abandoned for at least a few years, and at some point in the past it had been broken into and anything left behind that had any value removed, but that wasn't what he was here for. "It's a roof, I suppose." And since it had been abandoned so long it wasn't likely that anyone planned to move in and set up shop in the near future. The first floor with it's broken doors and windows didn't make him feel particularly secure, and he made his way up a set of rickety stairs to the second story. He suspected that the owners had once lived here, although once again nothing of any sort of value remained. There was one more set of stairs, these far steeper and narrower, leading up to an attic. As empty as the rest of the house, but it was smaller—no rooms for anyone to be hiding in—and there was only a single window. Miracle of miracles the sloping roof seemed sound enough, but then it had probably been spell-sealed. As long as it didn't leak, it didn't matter one way or the other, and with a sigh he dropped down against the far wall. Not the most comfortable of beds, but he'd been up for nearly a day and a half.

When Severus woke up, the sun was starting to set and his stomach was doing a bit more than simply grumbling. There had to be somewhere where he could get a meal. Perhaps offer to trade for chores? Except that most places had plates and cups charmed to clean themselves, charmed brooms that swept the floors on their own, not to mention the questions that were sure to be asked…. "No way to know until I try, I suppose."

Four hours later and with absolutely nothing to show for it, he began to make his way back down Knockturn Alley. He could _feel_ eyes on him from the shadows, and his fingers were cramping from the grip he had on his wand. He knew enough to know that there were ways to get money from those watchers, but…well, he'd have to be a lot hungrier than this to even _consider_ something like that. There was a crash from one of the side alleys, and he tried to pick up his pace without making it obvious that he wanted to run. That old, abandoned shop seemed safer by the minute—it had walls, after all—and relief actually overrode his twisting stomach as he finally made his way through the broken door and up the two flights of stairs into the attic.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus shifted slightly, eyeing the fruit vendor. He'd discovered that it was much easier to snatch a bite to eat here in Diagon Alley than down in Knockturn. The people there were far more suspicious. This woman, she'd provided breakfast for him three days out of the last five and was about to give him yet another…he stepped forward, sliding a hand over one of the apples and tucking it into his palm as she turned to straighten her sign just a _bit_ more. "Good morning, ma'am."

"Good morning," she returned, turning back around to smile at him.

He shook his head, eating it quickly as he continued walking. Clothes were his next order of business. With the help of a rainstorm and an old dented pot he'd found in the rubbish heap behind the apothecary—the one on Diagon, not the one next door to the import shop that, judging by the smells occasionally emanating from it, was run by someone with a decidedly questionable grip on reality—he'd managed to keep the one pair of clothing he owned from becoming too horrendously dirty, but a spare set would be much appreciated. How was going to be a bit tricky though. All his attempts to find even a temporary position somewhere had been rejected, which meant he was going to have to steal them. Somehow. It just wasn't his area of expertise.

"Snape!"

He tense, fingers going to his wand, as he spun. "Malfoy?" The blond was recognizable enough; he'd left Hogwarts two years ago and was currently engaged to Narcissa Black if rumors were to be believed. They'd never interacted much…for one Lucius Malfoy was several years older and for another he was nearly as much a pure-blood fanatic as Severus' grandparents. But it was unlikely bordering on the extreme that his grandparents would have asked the Malfoys to help track him down—and even less likely that any one of them would have accepted—so he stood his ground. "May I help you?"

"Perhaps, although I think we might come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. I'd heard that you were looking for…employment?"

There were very few people who could manage to make that question sound as condescending as Malfoy did, Severus decided, but since he had been looking for a job he simply nodded slightly.

"As I recall you were a fair hand with potions. Several years beyond your actual level. I assume you've continued to progress at that rate?"

Severus nodded again.

"I have an…acquaintance…who'd like a range of potions. He has access to a lab and ingredients, although the job would require your discretion…." He raised an eyebrow. "Would the position interest you?"

"Of course." That was blurted out more quickly than he probably should have as far as negotiating salary and the like went, but a job like that would be ideal. At this point, nearly _any_ job would be idea.

"I've a few errands to run today, but perhaps we could meet tomorrow afternoon at Martols and work out the details? Say 4:00, perhaps?"

"That would be acceptable." Except of course that it meant that he'd have to locate a change of clothes and some kind of funding _today_, because in what he was wearing now he wouldn't even be allowed through the door and even a glass of juice would cost several sickles.

Malfoy bowed slightly and then turned and disappeared back into the crowd, and Severus downed the last of his apple without tasting it. He was intelligent; he could certainly come up with something.


	3. First Time Offender

Go the Distance

_In my imagination this is where the real AU starts…meeting with Lucius Malfoy and starting to work for the Dark Lord could lead back to the canon Snape we all know and love, but that's not where this story is going._

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters._

Severus tensed, scanning the crowd. It wasn't particularly thick, but there were enough people that he should be able to disappear. The man was in the shop doorway now…no, he'd turned back to chat for a moment longer with Madam Malkin. "Merlin's beard, would you quit being polite and get out here?" Snatch-and-grab was the best option he'd come up with…he'd considered stealing clothes off a line while they were drying, but there was the little matter of finding something nice enough to get him through the door of Martols while still fitting. Difficult to tell without trying them on. Life would be so much easier if he could use his magic right now. The man he'd picked out of the crowd earlier _finally_ stepped out of the shop, and Severus pushed himself away from the building and got a running start. The weight advantage wasn't on his side, but surprise was, and the man took a moment to collect himself after he'd landed on the cobblestones before shouting at the crowd to stop him. Fortunately for Severus most of the onlookers seemed too confused to stun him immediately, and he dodged among several different clusters of people before slipping down a side alley. He could hide here until the commotion died down and then find somewhere to change and freshen up. He still had no money, but if Lucius asked he'd simply claim that he wasn't hungry. And hope his stomach didn't give him away. The box he'd stolen from the man, 'Madame Malkins Robes for All Occasions' printed across the top, was still clutched in his off hand, and he was turning it over to check that it hadn't opened when a rough hand closed on the back of his neck.

"And what have we got here?"

Severus twisted, trying to pull away from his captor, only to be forcibly turned to look up at two hard blue eyes. He began to bring up his wand automatically.

"Put it down, lad, or you won't like what I'll do next."

He realized abruptly that his captor had a wand in his free hand already aimed…and wore the uniform of an Auror. One of the few things his grandparents and his mother had been in agreement on was that Aurors weren't people to be underestimated. Nor trusted offhand. Still, he wasn't an idiot, and he dropped the tip of his own wand to point at the ground although he didn't put it away.

"What have you got there, Alastor?" a new voice, lighter than that of his captor, asked. A redheaded man a bit younger than the first and also in Auror's robes had come up behind the one holding him. He studied Severus for a moment and then shook his head with a sigh. "Ah, he's too scrawny to keep. Toss him back, and we'll go get some lunch."

The Auror with the grip on the back of his neck snorted. "Easier when you catch 'em young." Both eyes narrowed on Severus. "Run and you'll regret it." He released his grip abruptly and took the box away—although his wand still remained firmly on target—passing the box back to the redhead who started chuckling when he opened it.

"Well, congratulations, boy, this is quite a lovely maternity robe you've snatched. Who's the lucky lady?"

Severus gaped for a moment. The man had been approximately his size albeit several years older…Severus assumed that he'd been picking up robes for himself. "Bloody hell."

That drew chuckles out of both Aurors, and then the redhead closed the box. "I'll go return this to its proper owner."

"I'll take this one to the Ministry and sort him out and then meet you and Fabian at the café."

The first Auror shifted the crutch under the arm he'd been holding his wand in, and then his heavy hand closed on the back of Severus' neck for a second time. They arrived in the Ministry a moment later. Before he could do anything beyond opening his mouth to object, his wand was snatched away and tucked inside his captor's robes. "I'll be keeping this for a bit, just in case you're tempted to use it."

It wasn't until they started walking and Severus noticed the older man's uneven gait that he realized that the reason the Auror had a crutch was that he was missing the lower part of one leg. How the man had managed to sneak up on him…maybe a silencing spell? He couldn't believe he'd been _that_ unobservant. The redhead had called him Alastor, but the injury triggered something in his memory. Grandfather shouting about some crippled Auror a year or two ago…he'd gone on at great length, red with rage, and Severus had had high hopes for a heart attack. Mostly Grandfather had referred to the man with various curses, but Severus could have sworn he'd mentioned an actual name as well. "Moody?"

"What?" the Auror snapped.

"Is that your name?"

"Aye."

The fact that his grandparents hated the man was actually a point _for_ him in Severus' opinion, or at least it would have been if he was inclined to think favorably about anyone who was likely going to get him killed. He was guided—with a grip around his upper arm that could just as easily have been used to drag him if Severus had resisted—down several levels and into a room empty of all but a table and two chairs. Severus was deposited in one; Moody took the other. With a sharp rap on the table with his wand, a stack of papers appeared in front of the Auror. "All right then, you know who I am. Who are you?"

Severus kept his mouth shut, and the Auror's stare hardened. "You'll be telling me one way or the other, lad, I'd suggest doing it now and saving yourself some trouble."

He was fifteen years old and wasn't about to give in to blatant intimidation, keeping his face blank through years of practice. After a moment of silence, Moody pulled out Severus' wand. "One of Ollivander's unless I'm very much mistaken. Did you know that he remembers every wand he's ever sold…and the wizard to whom he sold it?"

Severus remembered that the wandmaker had identified his mother and her wand the moment she'd stepped into the shop back before his first year at Hogwarts, and he knew she hadn't been in Diagon Alley for at least eleven years before that. "Snape," he muttered grudgingly.

"Snape?" Moody's frowned deepened. "Don't recognize the name."

"My father is a muggle." See how he took that.

"Ah."

Severus couldn't read anything in his tone, which in general was not a good thing.

"First name."

Well, as long as he'd given his last…. "Severus."

His name was recorded appropriately, and the line flashed green. "First time offender?" He seemed surprised, studying Severus a bit closer. "Well, that's something, I suppose. Where do you live?"

He shrugged, and the Auror shook his head. "First time offender or not, there will be a hearing for this. They'll likely go a bit more easily on you if you cooperate."

Not quite as threatening as he'd been acting earlier, but still Severus didn't say anything. The man growled slightly. "_I'm_ likely to go a bit more easily on you if you don't make me miss my lunch. You said your father is a muggle—do you live with him?"

"_No._"

"Your mother then?"

He swallowed and looked away. "She died just after Easter."

"I'm sorry, lad."

His tone actually seemed sincere, Severus realized, though completely devoid of any pity. Unfortunate since at this point that might come in handy; though the idea of using his mother's death to benefit him in any way made him feel more than slightly ill.

"Who are you staying with now, then?"

His jaw tightened. "I'm not going back there. You can't make me."

That seemed to amuse Moody more than anything else. "We'll see about that. I daresay your guardian—whoever that might be—won't be pleased with this little development, but it'd be best to have it over and done with." He looked back at the form with a shake of his head when Severus made no move to respond. "Age?"

"Fifteen."

"You go to Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"Just finished your fourth year, then, or were you a young fifth year?"

"Fourth."

"Do well in your courses?"

"Well enough." At least in _his_ opinion he had, no matter what his grandparents had to say about it.

"What's your best subject?"

"Potions." There was no place for this information to be written on that little form, though…he suspected it was an attempt by the Auror to put him at ease. A clumsy and not particularly effective one since it still had all the signs of an interrogation rather than a conversation, but at least it was an attempt.

"What prompted you to pull that little stunt? A dare? Can't imagine you have a real need for maternity clothes."

Severus shrugged, tugging at his stained sleeve. "I needed a new robe. I thought he was picking up something for him."

"Ah." Moody glanced down at the form for a moment. "You realize that your options are pretty limited now, right lad? We aren't going to just let you go, so you can either tell me who your guardian is, or I can put you in a holding cell until someone has time to do the research. Either way someone is going to be contacted."

"I'm _not_ going back there!" Severus repeated sharply.

"Your choice, then." He pushed his chair back and stood, tucking the crutch back under his arm. "Come along."

The room Severus was put in was even smaller than the last—although he hadn't been half-dragged there which was something of an improvement—and had no furniture at all. The only window was a small square in the door that was too cloudy to see through, and taking a moment to be glad that he wasn't claustrophobic Severus slid down to sit against the wall. They'd find out about his grandparents easily enough…now that they had his name and knew he attended Hogwarts it would be no trouble at all to get his records. And then…. He swallowed hard. And then nothing good would happen. His grandparents might play nicely in front of the Aurors, but as soon as they were alone together he was in trouble. He was good at Defense—almost as good as he was a potions—but they could still inflict damage far faster than he could block their curses. And there were some curses couldn't be blocked.

He wasn't sure how long he sat in the cramped grey room before the door opened again. Moody, and he stood quickly. The man was intimidating enough when Severus was on his feet, looking up at him from the ground did nothing for Severus' confidence levels. "Let's have a talk, lad."

"I thought we did this already," Severus muttered as he was led back to the first room he'd been in, or at least one so like it that it made no difference.

"I've got a few more questions to ask."

This time when the forms were called to the table they were filled in a bit more completely, and Severus did his best to hide his wince when he saw that Percival and Edwina Prince were listed as primary guardians.

"Your mother was Eileen Prince."

It was a statement, not a question, but Severus nodded anyway.

"And your father was a muggle?"

That _was _a question, and he nodded a second time.

Moody's eyes were narrow, boring into Severus' as if he trying to read his mind. "Your grandparents aren't known for being…tolerant…of—"

"My grandparents are pureblood fanatics," Severus said with some disgust. "Anyone who knows them knows _that_."

"Well, then, you see my problem with this whole situation."

The silence drew out for nearly fifteen minutes before Severus gave in. "Mother left school in her sixth year and ran off to marry a muggle. A year later I was born. Several years later she finally realized that we just couldn't fit into the muggle world, no matter what we did, and returned to her parent's house. For some reason—no one ever explained it to _me_—she wasn't capable of having any more children at that point, so…." He shrugged. "Their choices were to take me as well or have the bloodline die out." Which was anathema to a pureblood family, though at this point they probably saw it as the lesser of two evils. The greater being keeping him as their heir.

Before Moody could respond, the door opened and another redheaded Auror—his features were similar to the one that had been in the alley earlier but not quite the same—stepped in. "Well, Mr. Snape, you seem to be quite an amazing young man."

Severus stared.

"According to your grandparents, at this very moment you're on a train to Egypt for your summer holidays. In fact, they got an owl from you just last night about how awful the food is. You know, if I were you I'd use that wonderful ability to being in two places at once for something a bit more creative than stealing ladies' clothing in Diagon Alley."

"Somehow anyone at that estate whom they don't want us to speak to manages to be 'out of the country' whenever we stop by to visit," Moody said dryly. "However, it does leave us with a bit of a conundrum. I've had some…experience…dealing with the Princes in the past, and I take it from your earlier responses that if we were to drop you off this evening things would not go well for you."

It wasn't a question, though for a moment Severus considered repeating his refusal to go back for a third time. It only took a few seconds to decided that since neither Auror seemed inclined to haul him back at this particular instant he should keep his mouth shut.

"Unfortunately, we can't precisely keep you here at the Ministry—we aren't equipped for it by any stretch of the imagination—and I'd be more than a bit uncomfortable sticking a lad your age in Azkaban. It's been done, certainly, but generally for crimes considerably worse than minor thievery."

"Incompetent minor thievery at that," a second redhead added in the background.

Severus glared at him, noting that this one _was_ the one he'd seen earlier, but most of his attention was on Moody. "So…what's going to happen?" Somehow he didn't think they were just going to release him, despite the fact that from his point of view that seemed to solve most of the problems in front of them. _He _still had to worry about what he was going to wear to meet Lucius tomorrow, but he'd worry about that later.

"House arrest, I suppose. Of a sort, at least, since normally it would be served in your own place of residence; in this case we'll have to figure out somewhere else to send you."

"He could come with us," one of the redheads offered, the one who'd gone to the Prince estate. "Fabian Prewett, at your service. That's Gideon, my brother in case you couldn't tell."

"He'd be better off in Azkaban," Moody returned. "Being confined with you two would drive anyone mad in the space of two days. What about that sister of yours?"

"The boys have been sick so I'm not sure she's up for taking in another," the other responded.

Especially one who was awaiting a Ministry trial, he didn't add, though Severus didn't have any trouble reading it in his eyes.

"Why don't you just take him with you?" Gideon asked, reaching around his brother to nudge Moody's shoulder. "You've got the room, and he's not likely to be able to slip past those watch-bins of yours in the middle of the night."

He actually seemed to be considering the idea, which surprised—and worried—Severus. "Suppose we can't precisely go calling on Wizarding family services for help. All right then, we'd best get going." Some of Severus' dismay must have shown in his expression, because he chuckled slightly. "It's hardly a permanent solution, lad; we'll find somewhere else to put you until the hearing soon enough I'm sure."


	4. Ministry Justice

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters._

4. No, I Won't Accept Defeat

His immediate future having been decided for him with very little input on his part, Severus was just a bit annoyed as Moody apparated them to a rather run-down looking neighborhood in an area he didn't recognize. The houses were nothing special to look at, though they did have small yards separating them, and Moody led the way to one at the far end of the street. He'd been in the holding cell at the Ministry longer than he'd realized…the sun was already beginning to set.

"Mind the dustbins, now," Moody warned.

They looked like ordinary enough rubbish bins, but Severus gave them a wide berth anyway.

Moody opened the door and cast some sort of detection spell before stepping in. "Not much to see, but I'll give you the tour. This way is the living room, and off through that door is my study. Kitchen is the next door over. Hall in the back leads to the bedrooms. He stamped down it, Severus trailing behind. "Toilet's here, and my room is down there on the end. You'll be using this room for now." He tugged opened the door across from the toilet and promptly sneezed at the dust that wafted up from the floor. "After a bit of cleaning, anyway; can't say that I use it all that much for anything except storage."

That was an understatement in Severus' opinion…he could just make out a bed frame although there was no mattress, three dressing tables in various styles—none of which matched the bed frame—two mirrors, a trunk, and half a dozen more rubbish bins. And all of the items were covered in a thin film of dust.

Moody took a moment to survey the room, and then with a wave of his wand the furniture rearranged itself quickly. The dressing tables lined up along one wall, the bed slid against the other, the mirrors floated off down the hall to what end Severus didn't know, and the rubbish bins completely disappeared. After a quick check to be certain that the trunk was empty, Moody tapped it sharply and it expanded into a mattress. A quick _Scourgify_ rid the room of most of the dust, and he nodded sharply. "That'll do for now. I'll get some linens; why don't you go get yourself cleaned up?"

It wasn't precisely a suggestion, and Severus flushed. "I don't…."

"Ah. Not a very prepared runaway, are you?"

"It was something of a spur of the moment decision." Besides, even if he had taken supplies when he'd run, he'd hardly had time to go and collect them from the attic he'd been living in.

"Let's see what I've got then."

Half an hour later, after his first real shower in a week and in a pair of severely-shrunken pyjamas, Severus made his way to the kitchen. There was food waiting—real food, on a plate, which he hadn't had in at least as long as a shower—and he fell on it.

"Bit hungry there, lad?"

Abruptly realizing that he wasn't alone in the kitchen—and remembering the stack of manners his grandparents had driven into him—he found himself torn between embarrassment and uncertainty. "I…."

Moody didn't seem particularly annoyed though, regarding him evenly for a moment and then dumping another ladleful of the stew on his plate. "Eat your fill. There's hardly a shortage."

He finished his own bowl and left shortly after, which Severus found to be a relief. He made it most of the way through a third ladleful before he couldn't eat any more himself, and then, leaving the plates on the counter since he didn't have his wand to clean them with, went back into the living room where Moody had said he'd be waiting. The older man was reading over a stack of parchments and didn't appear to see him come in…for the first time Severus was able to truly look him over. Taller than himself—Severus was actually tall for fifteen, but the Auror topped his 180 centimeters easily—and considerably wider. And not much of it was fat, either, if his grip was anything to go by. His age…mid-fifties, maybe? A bit more, a bit less, the scars made it difficult to tell. Blond hair had mostly gone to grey, but Severus knew wizards to whom that had happened in their late twenties so it wasn't by any means a definite indicator. It was probably more telling that he didn't cover it with a glamour or charm it back to the original color.

"You planning to stand there all night or come in and have a seat?"

Severus half-glared and took a seat on the edge of the couch gingerly.

"Suppose we'd best go over how this is going to work. Don't have a lot of rules, and I just made 'em up so I'm not sure how complete they are, but I expect we'll figure it out as we go."

Well, 'figure it out as we go' had to be better than his grandparents' 'everything I say is written in stone' at least. Probably.

"I'm an Auror."

"No, really?" Severus interrupted. The words were out of his mouth before he could sensor them—apparently the stress of the day had made him a bit more tired than he'd realized—and he ducked his head at the glare the comment received.

"Mind your tongue, lad. As I was saying, I'm an Auror which means I'm going to be working at the Ministry and out on assignment most days until evening time. Sometimes later depending on the case I'm on. I don't mind giving you the run of the majority of the house while I'm gone, but you'll not leave the unless I'm with you, and if you don't want to get caught up in a sticky set of wards you'll steer well clear of my room as well. I expect you to refrain from destroying my belongings—if I find you haven't I've no issue locking you in that spare room. There are plenty of books in the study if you enjoy reading, if not I know there's a deck or two of wizard cards around somewhere. A chess set too. There's plenty of food in the pantry so you can help yourself there…let me know if you use the last of anything so I can pick up some more. I suppose we'll need to go down and pick up a few things for you to _wear_ at some point."

Severus flushed. He didn't have any money which meant….

Apparently his expression wasn't as blank as he'd have liked. "Don't fret, the Aurors' office has a fund for odds and ends…normally we use it for bribes and to clean witnesses up for Ministry trials rather than defendants, but I doubt anyone will fuss. Seeing as you've got one pair of clothes besides my pyjamas, and a decidedly worn pair at that, you're certainly going to need something. And just shrinking a few more of my things isn't going to work—for one I don't have that much clothing myself. We'll go tomorrow morning; I need to get a report from the shopkeeper anyway." He frowned slightly. "That's it, I suppose. I'm not sure there's anything else here that needs an explanation or warning, but if you've a question ask."

"Can I have my wand back?"

Moody's gaze was considering. "I think we'd best wait until after the hearing for that. The dustbins will keep you inside while I'm not here as long as you haven't got it, but I'm not sure I wouldn't put it past you to try running off if you did. I've even less desire to go chasing you all over the Wizarding world than I do to lock you in Azkaban for evading arrest."

Severus was more than slightly curious about just what these dustbins that Moody kept referring to actually did, but since he _had_ been planning to sneak out tomorrow to meet Malfoy he didn't actually have a position from which to argue. Although…if he _didn't_ meet with Malfoy tomorrow, any chance of a job for the summer would be gone which meant that as soon as the hearing was over he was back in the same situation he'd been in. That assumed that he wasn't sent to Azkaban, of course, but neither Moody nor the two redheaded Aurors had seemed to think that was a very serious possibility so he wasn't going to worry just yet.

"I'm for bed, lad. I'd suggest you do the same."

"Yes, sir."

"Name's Alastor. You might as well use it."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus shifted uncomfortably on the bench outside the courtroom. He'd been lucky…he'd gotten a hearing date only a week after the incident. Apparently it had been a slow summer thus far at the Ministry. And since he was still underage the courtroom would be closed. Not that his grandparents were likely to be looking for him here—from what Alastor had said they weren't looking for him at all which was both a relief and…painful…at the same time—but it was nice to know that even if they looked they wouldn't find him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Maternity Robe Menace. And how goes your day thus far?"

"Downhill, and quickly," Severus returned dryly with a glare for the man making his way down the corridor towards him. It wasn't that he disliked Gideon, it was more that he found his sense of humor…difficult…at times.

Gideon Prewett—the redhead who'd been with Alastor in the alley—ignored his tone and gave him a quick grin. "Such a charming personality you've got there."

"Bad form, Gideon, torturing the defendant," a new voice called.

Despite having stayed with Alastor for only seven days—another home having yet to be located—even Severus had figured out that where Gideon went Fabian was sure to follow eventually. Unfortunately, his sense of humor was if anything more intense than his older brother's, and Severus was nervous enough that he didn't want to deal with either of them right now. Azkaban had seemed a remote possibility a few days ago, but now that he was here, facing a trial…. Well, there wasn't much he could do but plead guilty; his sentence depended on the court. Granted that he was still a minor, but at fifteen he wasn't precisely a _child_ and they might not be willing to be overly lenient with him.

"Let the lad be," a third voice ordered, and Severus felt himself relaxing a bit as the Alastor stamped up to them. It wasn't that the older Auror was particularly _kind_—though he'd yet to show Severus any kind of cruelty either—it was more that he was…transparent. Severus never had to wonder what a particular shade in his voice meant or worry that he was missing some subtle hint that the man was angry at him. "We'll be going in in a few moments. Severus, you'll be called in first and they aren't likely to say much to you since you confessed, although you will be asked if you'd like to speak in your own defense."

Severus nodded. Alastor had taken him back to the Ministry a few days ago where he'd met with a court-appointed solicitor, and the man had suggested in the strongest possible terms that he not attempt anything that sounded like an excuse. Besides, he'd sound like an idiot claiming that he needed a new cloak while he was sitting in the courtroom in the black and green one Alastor had gotten for him. The court would know nothing about his living situation unless he told them, and it was very nearly the last thing that he wanted to get into even if it would earn him a lighter sentence. If it came down to that or Azkaban _then_ he would say something, but as long as it did not he was keeping his mouth shut.

"Snape, Severus," a man in his early twenties barked from the door of the second courtroom down, and Severus stood and straightened his shoulders as he moved towards the door.

"That's the spirit," a voice called quietly behind him.

"Chin up," a second, nearly-identical voice chimed in. "All the way to the gallows."

Twin yelps followed, and a gruff, "I said let the lad be."

The hearing was being presided over by a senior member of the Wizengamot with three other members standing by to pass judgment since the interrogator couldn't also act as a juror. The young man who'd called for him turned out to be the court scribe, and he sat to the left of the interrogator scratching out notes as the charges were read to the court. Since Severus was pleading guilty and had declined to offer a defense, they moved onto sentencing almost immediately. He swallowed as the man whose package he'd tried to steal was called in. Devon Marks…he didn't actually have a great deal to say since he'd been too startled to get a good look a his assailant, and he seemed to find that idea that a teenage boy had tried to steal a maternity robe he'd been picking up for his wife more amusing than anything else. He'd probably have been less amused if he hadn't gotten it back or if it had been damaged, but since he'd been able to deliver it to her in pristine condition he wasn't inclined to be overly harsh.

Gideon was called in next, and Severus had _no_ idea what would come out of that man's mouth. Somehow the fact that his brother stuck his head in behind him and gave Severus an eyebrow-wiggling smile didn't make him feel any better about the situation.

"Gideon Prewett," the interrogator said with a glare for the door Fabian had retreated behind, "Can you describe the events that occurred in the alley on the morning in question?"

"Suppose I could," he said with an agreeable nod, and then there was silence.

"Well, _would_ you?"

"Don't annoy them," Severus muttered under his breath, glaring. Bad enough to be judged by these people at all, he certainly didn't need them irritated when they made their final decision.

"Certainly." He straightened slightly and suddenly became more serious. "Auror Moody and I had just come off a night-long observation detail on an unrelated case and were planning to meet my brother for lunch at one of the cafés on Diagon Alley. We were passing Madam Malkin's when there was a commotion, and a man's voice shouted to the crowd to stop someone. Neither of us could see who he was talking about so we split up and went in opposite directions. When I saw no indication of any trouble in the direction that I'd gone, I doubled back and found Alastor and Mr. Snape in one of the side alleys."

"And you were certain that this was the boy who'd caused the commotion?"

"Since he was holding the box with a gown from Madam Malkins that he certainly didn't need, we were relatively sure, but I went back to confirm the identity of the stolen item while Auror Moody took Snape to the Ministry."

He was dismissed, and it was no surprise that Alastor was the next to be called. Unlike the Prewett brothers he was serious throughout the proceedings which Severus appreciated. Not that he had much to add—he'd caught sight of Severus fleeing the scene with a box from Madam Malkin's in one hand, and he'd followed him when Severus tried to hide in an alley. Severus had confessed and 'told him what he needed to know' when they got back to the Ministry. Severus was just relieved that Alastor left out the part where he'd had to go digging through files to find out more information than his name and age.

"According to the report you filed, the boy has been confined to a residence since the incident?" the interrogator asked.

"Aye."

"This behavioral report indicates that he's been quiet and well-behaved during that time. No incidents of any kind."

Severus shot Alastor a sharp glance. What behavioral report?

The interrogator waited for Alastor's confirmation and then glanced at the three members who'd be passing the actual judgment. "I believe that's all the information that we need, then. Mr. Snape, if you'll step into the hall so the jurors can debate?"

What did they think he was going to do, refuse? He followed Alastor out the door, retaking his seat on the bench.

"So what's it going to be?" Fabian asked. "Forty lashes? Drawing and quartering? Will they make you walk on a plank?"

"Walk on what?" Severus was distracted enough from his worrying to ask. He didn't care to contemplate the first two suggestions that the man had made, but why walking on a plank would be some kind of punishment….

"The plank is fixed to the side of a boat, and after you walk down it you fall in the ocean and drown," Gideon explained.

"I'd ask where you lads come up with this nonsense, but I'm not sure I actually want to know," Alastor said.

"Arthur Weasley. Pie-rats do it, apparently. Oh, Arthur is our sister Molly's husband," Fabian told Severus. "The man has an absolute fascination with all things muggle."

After a moment and using what little he remembered from his childhood at Spinner's End, Severus was able to reinterpret pie-rats as pirates and 'walk on a plank' as 'walk the plank,' although the idea of another Prewett wandering around—female or not—made him feel slightly queasy. Of course that could just be the trial; it was hard to say at this point.

"Snape, Severus," the scribe called again what seemed like only moments later, and he entered the courtroom a second time.

"Please remain standing for sentencing." This time Alastor and the Prewett brothers had come in with him, and now they all moved to stand against the wall.

"In light of the fact that this has been your first appearance in this court, as well your behavior since the incident and reports from Hogwarts indicating high scholastic ability in several subjects," the interrogator began, "the court is inclined to view this as a childish lapse in judgment. Since the property was returned undamaged and the owner has pressed no charges related to complications due to the theft, no recompense is owed."

Severus began to breathe a bit more easily. It was a good thing that they hadn't requested his _disciplinary_ reports from Hogwarts.

"However, theft is a serious crime, and you are old enough that such a lapse requires a bit more censure than a stern warning," the man continued. "To that end, you are hereby sentenced to spend six weeks under the conditions of house arrest set out in the Ministry handbook statute 2.4.11.f. Mr. Timms will provide you with a copy of the pertinent passages. Any violation will result in an immediate hearing and appropriate further disciplinary measures taken." He glanced down at the parchment in his hand. "However, in acknowledgement of time served and recognition of your exemplary behavior therein, the sentence is hereby reduced by the one week. Mr. Snape, do you understand your sentence as I have read it?"

"Yes, sir." The slip of paper he was handed on his way out of the courtroom had a great deal of detail on it about what precisely constituted a Ministry house arrest, but apparently Alastor had been quite pleased with his behavior so far so he wasn't overly worried about being able to stay out of trouble. Of course that assumed that he'd be_staying_ with Alastor…he could hardly blame the Auror if he didn't want a teenager underfoot for nearly another full month. He still wasn't sure why Alastor hadn't handed him off to someone else as soon as possible, though it might have been the case that there simply _wasn't _anyone else.

"You did it, boy, you dodged the rap." Fabian draped an arm around him, and Severus tensed automatically.

"It's that clean living, let me tell you," Gideon said, coming up on his opposite side. "Clean living and fancy footwork."

"Don't you have jobs?" Severus asked.

"Course we do, right now we're protecting all those lovely pregnant ladies out there from the terrifying thief out for their clothing."

He strongly suspected that neither of these two was ever going to let him live that down, and it was something of a relief when a semi-familiar hand caught him by the back of his neck and pulled him away. "We do, actually, have other duties, so I'd best be getting you back to the house."

"I'm staying with you, then?" Severus asked, doing his best to pretend it didn't matter. That he had someplace to go if Alastor said no.

"Aye, unless you've a problem with it." Alastor shrugged slightly. "You're a quiet enough lad; no trouble as a housemate. And I've still no idea where else we might send you."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement though it dovetailed neatly with his earlier thoughts…at least the older man wasn't obviously displeased with the arrangement. They arrived on the edge of the lawn again—Severus suspected that that was where the anti-apparition barrier ended although he had no way to tell for sure—and crossed quickly to the house.

"I'll be in a bit late tonight so don't wait to eat."

Severus nodded, shutting the door as the Auror turned to go. Yesterday he'd gotten halfway through a volume on Asian Dark Arts in the fifteenth century and the defenses developed against them, and with no company expected he could fix himself a snack and spend the afternoon reading on the couch.


	5. LateNight Owls

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters._

_As far as Moody's vigilance goes—at this point he's still got his eye and is shy of a few scars so he's not quite as paranoid as he'll get later, and the things he doesn't want Severus getting into are locked in his room (think the normal and Restricted sections of the library at Hogwarts, except Moody has nastier wards)._

5. It's an Uphill Slope (I)

Severus yawned, sitting up as he recognized someone calling his name. "Hm?"

"You'd be a bit more comfortable in your room," Alastor observed, standing over the couch.

"I was reading." Apparently he'd been more tired than he'd realized, but then when you considered that he hadn't slept a great deal last night worrying about the hearing that was hardly surprising.

"Hmph. Well, you'd best get yourself to bed now."

Good advice, and Severus didn't think twice about following it. He woke up to the sounds of Alastor in the kitchen the next morning, and he shrugged on a clean set of clothes before going to join him.

"Wasn't sure when you'd be waking up," Alastor observed. "Toast?"

"Please."

A plate with several pieces of bread was on it was put into his hands, and then, "Here, this is yours."

Severus blinked and barely refrained from dropping his breakfast and _snatching_ the thin stick of wood out of the older man's hand. He'd been wandless for over a week now, and although thanks to that idiotic underage-magic ban he still couldn't _use_ the thing it was a relief to have it back in his hand. "Thank you."

Alastor chuckled, most probably at his response. "Brought it back with me last night but I forgot to give it to you. Now, mind you don't go doing anything stupid and getting yourself back into trouble."

"I won't."

"Then we'll have no troubles. Eat your breakfast and then we'll have a look at that room of yours…imagine there's a thing or two that could stand to be changed since you'll be staying more than a few days."

"You don't have to work?"

"It's a weekend, lad, and Gideon and I closed our primary open case last night. Not that we don't have other cases to work on, of course, but neither of us were planning on going in today."

That was the end of their breakfast conversation as they worked their way through several pieces of toast and jam apiece before rising and heading for the room Severus occupied. It looked basically the same as it had when he'd come here a week ago…well, granted one of the dressers now had a few articles of clothing in it, there was a stack of books he was planning to read on one of the others, and the bed had actually been neatly made, but other than that….

"Well, that's a bit ridiculous," Alastor said with a nod to the books stacked on the dresser, hovering them over to one of the others and giving it a sharp tap. It twisted, stretching upwards and resolving itself into a tall bookshelf. "Suspect you'll get a bit more use out of that. And Merlin knows I could use another."

Severus was decidedly pleased with the change, and he'd have no trouble filling it…the books in Alastor's study were in a decidedly haphazard arrangement, crammed onto the shelves two and three deep in several places. It would be much easier to pick out what he wanted to read if he could actually see all the titles.

"Two bookshelves would be a bit more use than two dressers; would you care to do the other?"

"I'm underage, remember." And not very good at transfiguration, although dresser to bookshelf shouldn't be _that_ difficult.

"With the wards I've put on this place, as long as you don't attempt anything spectacular the Ministry won't notice. Provided you stay in the house, at least, although I suppose you won't be going outside without me in the near future anyway."

That was…good to know…and he drew his wand and mimicked Alastor's tap. His dresser twisted as well, reaching upward. The bookshelf it became wasn't quite as polished as the one the Auror had managed—a few of the shelves had a tiny lips around the edges that had once been the sides of the shelves, and the top two were definitely on a slight diagonal—but it would serve. The rest of the morning was spent organizing it, or at least shifting over enough books from the shelves in the study that the thing ceased to look in imminent damage of collapse, and the afternoon reading books that had caught their eyes in the sorting. Alastor seemed to prefer the lounge chair with the footstool that he could rest his truncated leg on, meaning that Severus didn't have to give up his spot on the couch.

When his eyes drifted closed for the third time on one page, he sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. "It's late. I think I'm going to bed."

"We seemed to have missed dinner—have a snack first."

"Yes, sir." He'd found a basket of chocolate frogs in one of the upper cupboards last week, a few of those would do nicely.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

His sleep was interrupted a fierce knocking on the window, and Severus got up quickly before the sound could awaken Alastor. The sun wasn't even up yet, but that sort of thing never had been a problem for owls. He'd seen this owl somewhere before although he couldn't place it…probably at Hogwarts. Not that he had any idea why someone from Hogwarts would be owling him. It nipped at him as he took the note away but settled on the headboard of his bed obviously awaiting a response. He picked the seal open quickly and turned on a light.

_Snape,_

_I was disappointed that you didn't meet me in Diagon last week, nor owl me about your change in plans, but I did hear a bit of news the other day about you getting picked up by Aurors for one thing or another so I suppose you had reason. I do wish they would cease poking their noses in where they're not wanted. The man I mentioned previously has not found anyone with satisfactory qualifications to do potions work for him, so if you are still interested I would still like to speak to you about the position. Please owl back with a time and place to meet—my schedule is fairly busy, but since my owl has had difficulty locating you and I'd prefer not to waste any more time I will do my best to accommodate you._

_Regards,_

_L. Malfoy_

Severus looked at the owl for a moment and then sank down on the edge of the bed. He recognized the beast now, Malfoy had gotten it when Severus had been a first year and had gone on at length about how it had been imported specifically for him from who-knows-where. Severus' opinion had been more along the lines of who-cares-where, but he'd kept his mouth shut on the grounds that antagonizing that particular wizard would not be good for his health. He read the note again and noted that it had been dated several days before…apparently the owl had had trouble locating him. He was curious how it had finally managed, but then delivery owls occasionally managed all manner of bizarre feats. Not to mention the contacts that Malfoy had in the Ministry; someone there probably knew where he was. It didn't particularly matter to him, provided his grandparents never found out. Now what to do about the note…he was still most definitely interested in the position. For one it would mean that he would have a source of funds rather than being dependent on Alastor for everything, and for another he _liked _doing potions, and he'd appreciate a chance to do some more advanced work over the summer.

He sank down on the bed, considering for a moment. He could always ask Alastor to take him, but he suspected that the Auror would think that a private meeting with anyone—and possibly particularly a Malfoy—would violate his house arrest. And the last thing Severus wanted to do was take him to the meeting. Malfoy's opinion of Aurors had always been low, to say the least. He frowned. Alastor didn't actually live all that far from London…a town called Ewell perhaps twenty kilometers away. Certainly no more than that, which meant that if he had to he could walk it although he'd much rather _not_. No doubt he could find some sort of muggle transportation, and since Alastor worked during the day he would simply arrange a lunch meeting and avoid dealing with his guarding altogether. There would be those rubbish bins Alastor had mentioned to worry about, but he'd yet to see them actually _do_ anything…. It took a moment to dig out a quill, and then he was sent the owl back out the window with a letter accepting Malfoy's invitation and suggesting that they meet in two days at Martols. He'd personally have preferred one of Diagon Alleys lunch cafes—and not just because they were considerably cheaper—but there was far too great a chance of being seen in one of them.

The big owl winged out over the yard, and Severus considered for a moment. Apparently those rubbish bins didn't defend against _flying_ visitors.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The sound of locks opening drew Severus' attention, and he gave the…thing…in front of him one last desperate look. If it hadn't been so _loud_ he could have hidden it in his room and tried to undo his mistake tomorrow, but it wouldn't stop squeaking and silencing spells didn't necessarily work well on magically-made creatures. He ducked his head. This was the first day that he'd tried any real magic while he was alone here, and this was the result. It was pathetic. The front door was shut with a bit of a bang, and the paperweight gave a particularly loud squeal.

"What in Merlin's name was that?"

Severus winced, but there wasn't much he could do except explain. "I was trying to work on my transfiguration, and…."

Alastor stepped into the study, coming to stand beside the desk to stare at what had once been a round stone with a flat side but was now sporting a tail, a nub of a head, and, much to Severus' dismay vocal cords. Alastor chuckled. "Not quite what you were attempting, eh?"

"It was supposed to be a mouse." He didn't have any of his schoolbooks with him, but Alastor had a several volumes on transfiguration and in the interests of not starting the next year even more behind in that class than he already was—as well as having very little else to do—he'd decided to try a few of the easier spells. It was simply his luck, of course, that transfiguring his robes would allow him to fit in with muggles and—hopefully—counterfeit their currency well enough to get him to London and back. Not that turning paperweights into mice would accomplish either of those things, of course, but he'd gotten distracted by one of the book exercises while looking for what items had properties most similar to money. Obviously said exercise wasn't going as well as he could have hoped.

"Well, let's have a look."

Severus passed over the volume he'd been working from, resisting the temptation to 'accidentally' drop it on the pathetic creature in front of him.

"Ah. That one is a bit trickier than it looks. Show me what you're doing." He waved his wand absently, and a chair scooted across the room.

A bit surprised, but willing to accept whatever help he could get at this point, Severus moved his chair to the side to make room for both of them in front of the desk and then gave the…thing…a tap and snapped the appropriate incantation. Aside from an annoyed squeal and another few centimeters of length in the already-overlong tail, it had no effect.

"Well, there's your problem, lad. You aren't focusing your power correctly—barely focusing it at all. Now watch." He tapped it sharply, and a little white mouse squeaked up at the two of them. A second tap, and it was detransfigured into its previous paperweight state. "Give it another try."

He wondered if Alastor would notice if he 'accidentally' blew the thing up, then decided that explosive spells probably weren't the wisest things to be using in the presence of an Auror, at least not without good reason. The fact that transfiguration was an obnoxious subject didn't count. He gave the paperweight one last glare and then regripped his wand a tried yet again.

"Better," Alastor offered.

"Legs instead of vocal cords; I _suppose_ that's an improvement." A hand patted his shoulder, and he shook his head and made another attempt. The impromptu tutoring session lasted until Severus' stomach growled alarmingly, but by the end of it he had managed a mouse of his own. Albeit flatter than any of Alastor's, and with fur that was more than somewhat reminiscent of the paperweight's pattern, but it was better than he'd managed all day on his own.

"That'll do, lad; I'd say we're both ready for dinner. Mark your place and we'll do a bit more later if you'd like."

Severus nodded and slipped a piece of parchment between the pages. And then after a moment tucked the mouse into his pocket. Partly because he didn't think he'd be able to detransfigure it on his own, and partly because even if he could he wasn't entirely certain that he could manage the transfiguration a second time and he wanted proof that he'd gotten it right at least once. "You realize that I can cook," he offered as Alastor started chopping vegetables into a pan. There was no reason for his guardian to have to bring home food or do the cooking every evening…it wasn't as though he had other things that to be doing during the day. At least right now, anyway, though that could change if he got the potions' job. It didn't really matter, he could cook either way...cooking was a bit like potions with the advantage that generally the worst that ever happened if you let things sit to long was that they burned as opposed to blowing up and wiping out yourself, the lab, and a large portion of the nearby countryside. It relaxed Severus.

There was something measuring in Alastor's gaze at his offer, but after a moment he nodded slightly. "If you please, I suppose, though I don't mind doing it. I haven't a great deal of actual ingredients in the house, but I do get a delivery from the grocers once a week if there's anything in particular that you'd like. I'd prefer if you did the cooking while I was _here_, however."

Severus nodded. There was no reason not to agree, after all, most things were better when prepared fresh. He took several of the carrots and did some dicing of his own, tossing them into the boiling water. Even with the ingredients available, he knew he was a better cook than the older man. Not that Alastor was _bad_—the food was always edible and there was more than enough of it to satisfy even a teenage boy—but he wasn't particularly creative.

He slipped a bit of bean into his pocket at an indignant squeak from the mouse, relieved that Alastor didn't seem to notice, and finished adding vegetables to the pot while Alastor put the chicken on. He'd try pasta tomorrow, he knew he'd seen noodles in one of the cupboards, and there was bound to be something he could cajole into sauce. Curry, he could do that as well, and he and Mum had worked out an excellent recipe for cottage pie last summer. Formal dinners on the Prince estate might have been cold affairs, but the two of them had generally ignored the house-elves offerings at lunch and made their own food. There was a familiar twist in the vicinity of his heart when he thought about her, but he pushed it aside. Mum was only to be thought about in the privacy of his room at night when he could use a silencing spell on himself if his control failed.

"Set the table, lad; this will only take a moment to boil."


	6. Getting Out

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters._

_If I haven't said it already, thank you to everyone who has reviewed._

It's an Uphill Slope (II)

Severus checked his transfigured clothing one last time, made certain that the leaflets he'd transfigured into muggle notes were safely tucked in the pocket, and then rolled up his lightest robe as tightly as he could and tucked it under one arm. He needed muggle clothing to fit in on the bus, but meeting Malfoy dressed as a muggle would not go over well. His entire plan hinged on Alastor's wards shielding his magic from the Ministry at least partway across the yard rather than when he was just indoors. If they didn't…well, he wouldn't get suspended from Hogwarts for _one_ use of underage magic, but he'd have a lot of explaining to do when Alastor found out about it. Severus doubted that his guardian would believe that he'd been shooting fireworks out the window or something equally ridiculous. Of course, he could always chance the dustbins, but…. He shook his head, waving the window open. The dustbins were around the front, going out the back would minimize any contact.

"_Wingardium leviosa._" With a swish and flick he was floating, and he steered himself out the window and carefully across the lawn, maintaining a distance five feet between himself and the ground at all times. Higher might have been better, but higher meant more of a chance of being seen. Not to mention that this particular levitation spell didn't always make for a soft landing, and requiring a trip to St. Mungos also wouldn't go over particularly well with Alastor.

When he was about halfway to the hedge separating Alastor's backyard from the neighbors'—as far as he was willing to press the wards—he cut off the spell and hit the ground running. _Something_ was moving behind him, but looking back would break his stride and he knew better than to do that. The hedge wasn't more than a meter high, and he vaulted over and rolled to a halt. Alastor wouldn't have permitted his magic to extend into muggle territory so he should be safe enough here. One of the dustbins that had once sat near the front door now stood under his window, and there was a chunk of what looked like the leftovers from the night before sitting by the hedge, but beyond that….

He shook his head and made his way to the street. Half an hour until the bus would arrive; plenty of time to make it to the stop. When he got to Martols and Malfoy wasn't there he had a sudden worry that the time he'd suggested wasn't acceptable and Malfoy hadn't bothered to tell him, but after a ten minute wait the older wizard finally sauntered in.

"Snape, excellent." He flicked a hand at one of the waitstaff. "My usual, please. Anything for you?"

"I've eaten, thank you."

"Bring him a glass of the house wine."

Severus couldn't object to that without giving offense, and he hoped that Malfoy would consider covering his bill part of the job offer.

Malfoy went directly to the subject at hand as the waitress turned to go. "Now, as I mentioned, I have an acquaintance who's interested in having a set of potions brewed for him. He has a lab and ingredients prepared, but thus far an appropriately…discrete…brewer of the caliber required has yet to be found."

Severus found that a bit troubling, somehow. Certainly he was a more than competent at brewing potions—better than the majority of the NEWT level students and probably a good portion of those just starting their mastery—but there were more than a few full potions' masters both in Europe and on the continent. Why couldn't this employer just hire one of them?

"Now, I've a listing of several of the more immediately desired potions if you'd like to review it."

That didn't requite any consideration, and he accepted the slip of parchment. The first few he recognized and had made on previous occasions. Garroting gas, Amortentia—it sold well to the younger years—and euphoria draught. There were several more that he'd never made but was certain that he could…blood-replenishing potion for one, Veritaserum and its antidote…. He scanned down the list of perhaps a dozen items in all. One or two others, like the Veritaserum, were technically Ministry-controlled, but considering the contacts Malfoy and presumably this man he was interviewing for had, that probably wasn't an issue. "I don't recognize these last few."

"I rather thought you might not, they're not overly common." He reached into his robes and retrieved a nondescript blue book with the majority of the lettering on the cover flaked off. "I was asked to pass this on to you; it should contain everything that you're unfamiliar with."

Severus opened it and read through the table of contents quickly. It looked fairly complete for such a small volume. "Where is the lab located?"

"There is an apothecary down Knockturn Alley that has small rooms that can be rented."

Severus hid a wince at the idea of working in that place. "Some of these potions require a…stable…environment."

Malfoy smirked. "I've been assured that the workroom has been shielded as necessary."

Privately Severus decided that he'd believe that when he saw it, but….

"Now, these won't be all of the potions required, but it will serve as something of a trial run for all involved. You will be paid as the potions are received, of course.

That was reasonable enough, and Severus nodded slightly. "And the pay rate would be?"

Malfoy named a figure that was half again what he'd have considered asking for—and he'd have expected to be bargained down—and then the conversation turned to small talk as the food and wine arrived. It was meaningless, mostly, a few words about Malfoy's upcoming wedding to Narcissa, what their common acquaintances from Hogwarts were about lately, and the like, and as the Malfoy finally finished eating he gave Severus a considering glance. "I take it that you are interested?"

"Certainly, I'm simply working out the…logistics." The major one being if he was actually capable of deceiving Alastor on a regular basis. Once was one thing, but if Severus was going to sneak out every day it greatly increased his chances of being caught. All it would take would be the wrong person catching sight of him, or a day that Alastor came home early to find the house empty. Still…leaving a simulacrum of himself asleep in his bed should be enough to fool his guardian unless there was a major difference in the times that they arrived—which, since Alastor was generally late if he was anything, wasn't likely to be more than a few minutes even if Severus was detained—and if he put a glamour on himself before he left Alastor's and didn't take it off until he returned, that should take care of the recognition aspect without dealing with the underage magic issue. "You heard of my little debacle with the Aurors? It requires some discretion on my part as to where and when I travel…as well as what I look like when I do."

"Indeed? The workroom will be accessed by password, so I suppose a disguise won't be an issue, but while we're willing to wait for potions to be ready, we will expect them in a reasonable timeframe."

"I don't believe it will be a major problem—if it is I will let you know—but it could be a factor."

Malfoy made a throwaway gesture. "You have the list of potions for the trial period; we shall see how the arrangement serves all concerned."

That was fair, and Severus nodded.

"Well, then, I pass along your agreement and the password will be owled to you shortly." He tossed a few galleons down on the table without comment, more than enough to cover both his meal and Severus' wine, and then stood. "If you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to today."

Severus stood with him and followed him out into the alley, although he did his best to stay in the shadows and slip back out into muggle London as quickly as he could. A glance at the bus timetable told him that he had a bit to wait before the next bus that stopped in Ewell would be leaving, and he took the opportunity to get a quick meal with a few of his transfigured notes and flip through the book Malfoy had left with him and comparing it to the listing he'd been given. The potions he was supposed to try looked interesting to brew—one looked potentially dangerous—and he was more eager than he cared to admit to give them a try.

The bus ride home was spent examining several of the potions that he _wasn't_ going to be required to make, and he was more than halfway across Alastor's lawn and to the front door when rotten potato peels struck him in the face, and he remembered the dustbins. One of them was coming at him from the front, while the other swung around from the back of the house where presumably it had been sitting since his escape.

"Bloody _hell_." He fumbled for his wand. "_Stupefy!_"

No effect. He started to double back towards the street, but the one that had come from the back of the house was spewing leftover chicken curry—considerably nastier than potato peels, even rotten ones—and making an awful racket. "_Finite Incantatem!_"

Still nothing. He dodged around the one coming from the direction of the house, and bits of potato followed him as he darted up the steps. The door was locked, and he waved his wand furiously. "_Alohomora!_"

That didn't work either, unfortunately, and he fired off several more spells at the bins that now had him trapped on the steps and were pelting him with increasingly more rotten garbage. None of the spells had the slightest effect. If he could just get the door open he could try a cleaning spell from inside, one that would hide the damage from his guardian. The sixth unlock spell—one that he hadn't even been sure he remembered correctly, but he'd been getting desperate—finally caused something inside the door to click, when the trash cans suddenly slid aside and a hand grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted him nearly off his feet.

"And just what do you think you're doing, boy?" Alastor demanded roughly. "Going somewhere?"

"I forgot about them!" Severus protested. Perfectly true, unfortunately, and saying that gave him a few moments to think. "I was just going to read…I was going mad cooped up inside all the time!" He pulled out the book Malfoy had given him and waved it, figuring from the state of Alastor's study he probably wasn't entirely certain of everything that he had in there. Severus was very glad that the book had come from whoever his employer was to be and was as old and faded as it was, not fancily bound and with the silver lettering it probably would have if it had come out of the Malfoy library. _That_Alastor would know immediately wasn't his.

"And those?"

Severus took a moment to realize that the wand being jabbed at him was aimed at his muggle clothing and was relieved that the lighter robe was tucked inside his shirt. "Well, your neighbors are muggles, right? Besides, it's more comfortable to lounge on the grass in trousers than in robes."

Alastor grunted but didn't dispute the truth of that statement, eyes narrow as he studied Severus' face intently. Severus did his best to allow nothing to show except for the surprise he'd felt at the dustbin's reactions. After a moment, the hand holding him by the front of his shirt released. "Get to your room; I'll deal with you after I've gotten this mess cleaned up."

That didn't sound particularly comforting, but Severus didn't have a lot of options. He detransfigured his clothing on the way—the stains, unfortunately, transferring themselves neatly onto his robes—putting the book up on one of his bookshelves and the spare robe in the drawer before attempting to spell himself clean. A squeak from the fourth shelf up made him pause, and a few rice bits went to Aberdeen before he continued to rid himself of the rubbish. She squeaked again, and he shook his head and found a bit of potato that hadn't gone bad. He never had gotten around to detransfiguring her, but it wasn't as though she was a particularly difficult pet to keep, and so far Alastor hadn't objected. "You need to be quiet, now, all right? I'm in some trouble…it's better not to push."

She squeaked a third time but then fell silent and went to lie down on the bed of paper scraps he'd made. He stroked a finger down her back. When she was still she looked more than a bit like the chunk of granite paperweight she'd once been. He gave one last wave of his wand and decided that his clothing was as clean as it was going to get.

"You're lucky I was in the office and saw the alert I'd put on this place light up. If this had come to the attention of the authorities—from the Ministry of Magic or otherwise—you'd be facing worse than me," Alastor rumbled as he entered a moment later, standing in front of Severus' with his arms crossed.

Since he didn't know just how much trouble he was actually in, Severus kept his eyes on the ground and didn't comment. Although from the sounds of it Alastor didn't sound likely to_report_ him to the Ministry which was something of a relief.

"Still leaves me the problem of what to do with you. No sense in mucking about with the courts for a silly mistake, but I can't precisely ignore the incident either."

"I promise, I won't do it again," Severus offered, glancing up cautiosly. He was lucky he'd managed to get the door unlocked, otherwise Alastor would probably never have believed his story and things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. From now on he'd levitate himself out the window _and_ back in; he'd been stupid to get caught up in the potions book and forget about it this afternoon.

"Aye, lad, I doubt you will, but that doesn't change the fact that you did it this time." He uncrossed his arms sat down on the bed, waving at Severus to do the same. "I suppose it doesn't help that the only experience I've got in dealing with fifteen year olds is being one. What are normal punishments?"

"You never misbehaved?" he returned.

Alastor snorted. "More than occasionally, but my da's response was either a caning or a belting with the tawse, depending on the offense. I'm not minded to repeat either of those on you, especially for something like this."

For which Severus was more grateful than he cared to admit—his grandparents had always preferred curses over anything else, but before he and mother had left Spinner's End he'd had more than a passing familiarity with his father's collection of belts and the switches that could be cut from the nasty little bush in the front yard. He had no trouble believing that either of the named implements would hurt worse. "Well, at Hogwarts they usually give us detentions where we have to clean something without magic, or do extra lessons, or write lines."

"You already do more cleaning than I do, and your days seem to be spent reading or working on something, so lessons don't make a great deal of sense either. Guess that leaves lines. Say five-hundred times 'I will not forget that I'm under house arrest' by tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir."

Alastor pushed himself to his feet and patted Severus on the shoulder lightly. "Doubt I'd like being cooped up inside all day either, lad, but it is supposed to be a punishment. I need to get back to work—left Gideon with all the paperwork—but you finish those lines before I get home this evening and we'll see about going out for a bit then instead, all right?"

Severus nodded as Alastor left again. He couldn't help feeling a bit guilty…Alastor had been extremely lenient with him. Although it wouldn't likely have gone that way if he'd suspected that Severus had actually snuck out, and he reminded himself once again to be more careful in the future. He knew better than to let himself get caught up in books like that.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus entered the apothecary carefully, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be around. He wasn't overly worried about who saw him—not when he was sporting blond hair and blue eyes, anyway—but he had serious doubts about the…character…of most of those who worked here and didn't trust most of them even a quarter as far as he could hex them. No one seemed to be around, and he made his way to the back of the shop and to the door leading to the private workroom that had been rented. Yesterday had been the first day that he'd come, and he'd been pleasantly surprised to find that the room was not only adequately shielded, it was even moderately clean. He'd spent most of the day finishing the cleaning job and arranging the potions ingredients the way he preferred them; today he planned to get at least the Amortentia done and probably the Garroting gas as well. Alastor and Gideon were on observation duty so Alastor wouldn't be home until several hours past dark at the very earliest.

He pushed away a feeling of guilt as dug out the Ashwinder eggs and began to prepare the base. Since his little debacle with the trash cans, Alastor had tried to make sure that they spent at least a little bit of time each evening outside, either reading, or playing chess—with the pieces muted—when the light wasn't quite good enough to make out the words, or just going for a short walk. Neither of them was much for talking, but Severus enjoyed it.

It wasn't long before he was able to push other thoughts aside and slip into a familiar state of concentration, though, and by the time his stomach was starting to complain that he'd missed lunch by a fair margin steam was rising in wide spirals form the cauldron. He had enough of the liquid to fill three large vials, and he filled and stoppered them quickly before cleaning up his mess. He debated going outside for lunch—he'd brought sandwiches from Alastor's since as yet he hadn't been paid—but considering the neighborhood….he sat against the far wall well away from the worktable and ate them quickly.

The Garroting gas was next. It was trickier because he had to shield himself from it at the same time that he was preparing it, and using magic around in-progress potions generally wasn't a good idea. Even if he wouldn't have been picked up for underage magic use. In this case shielding himself involved a complicated mask contraption from one of the back cabinets that didn't fit particularly well and made it difficult to breathe anyway. By the time he'd coaxed the vapor into two more vials he was ready to be done for the day. There was_probably _time to start on the base for the Infirmicondita, but it was one of the ones from the book that he hadn't seen before, and with something like that it was generally a good idea not to start work when the brewer was tired. Besides, when one stage had to mature for between three days and a full week before continuing, a day more or less wasn't going to make a great deal of difference.

He gave the lab a final wipe-down before leaving and put the Amortentia and Garroting gas in the tray that a note on the counter had indicated he was to leave finished potions in. According to said note, the potions would be picked up sometime during the night and appropriate payment left in their place. Severus wasn't entirely certain that he _liked_ that arrangement, but if it turned out that they were simply using him with no intention of actually giving him anything in return…well, he hadn't lost more than a few days here and nothing said that he had to return. If he chose to go that route he'd have to avoid Malfoy for awhile, but that wouldn't be difficult since he was supposed to be staying at Alastor's anyway.

By the time Alastor arrived home, he'd gotten halfway through an astronomy text, and dinner sat under a warming spell in the kitchen.

"Not so hungry tonight, lad," Alastor said with a wave as he hung up his cloak. "You go on and eat."

"Is something wrong?"

He waved a hand. "Nothing you need to worry about, just that a few of the people that have turned up on our observation lists for one reason or another seem to have a tad more in common than I'm comfortable with. Would you mind staying inside tonight? I'm a bit tired."

Severus nodded his agreement, and Alastor dropped down in his chair with a sigh, eyes already half-closing.


	7. Brewing Trouble

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters._

6. But I Won't Lose Hope (I)

Severus nodded politely to the bus driver—he'd taken this bus into London for the past several days—and took a seat towards the front. Muggle children tended to sit in the back, and he preferred to avoid them as much as possible. By now the route had become familiar, and no one gave him a second look as he ducked down Knockturn and wound his way past the shops until he arrived at the apothecary. The proprietor seemed to be out which was just as well; Severus didn't care for the slimy looks the man had a habit of giving him.

The Infirmicondita he'd finished yesterday had disappeared from the tray, a stack of coins left in its place, and he picked up the note sitting with them.

_Mr. Snape,_

_Your potions have been found to be quite acceptable, and if you are agreeable I would like to extend your employment. To that effect, I've included a second list of potions to prepare. Should you require any ingredients that cannot be found in the shop, or any other books, leave a note and one of my servants will fetch them for you._

_Regards,_

_T. Riddle_

"Riddle." He frowned for a moment. The name was familiar…he'd heard it mentioned once or twice among the oldest students at Hogwarts, and he was almost certain that his grandparents had dealings with someone by that name. Not precisely encouraging, but the note gave no indication of any particular recognition of him and his grandparents had taken great pains to make sure that the name 'Snape' wasn't associated with 'Prince' in social circles. The list of potions he'd been left was shorter than the previous—just as well since he hadn't entirely finished the first set—and he only recognized three of them. Most of the rest were in his book he discovered upon investigation, but two of them…. Well, the man had said to leave a note if he needed more books, and he dug a quill out of one of the cabinets and penned a quick request.

He'd finished the Veritaserum antidote base yesterday, and he set to work completing the potion. If he hurried he could probably get the Draught of Living Death done today as well, but that depended on how well this sat.

The Veritaserum antidote didn't turn out as strong as he'd hoped despite his valiant attempts to salvage it when he realized the problem—the Jobberknoll feathers had been badly preserved and he'd suspected that they'd lost some of their potency when he'd seen the state of them but he'd hoped that he would be able to make up for it by increasing the concentration of the Dragon's Wort infusion. It hadn't gone well, and he considered dumping the results altogether, but after a moment's reflection he put the vial in the tray and added a line to the note he'd written previously indicating that if it wasn't satisfactory that he would be willing to remake it if better-quality feathers could be obtained. It was after lunch now, and he decided that he might as well take the early bus back to Ewell. If he started the Draught now he wasn't entirely certain that he could finish in time to get back, and it wasn't a good potion to leave half-completed overnight.

He'd gotten fairly adept at levitating himself in and out the window without attracting the attention of the rubbish bins, and he'd just stretched out on his bed to have a snack and play with Aberdeen when he heard a creak as the door opened. "Hello?" It was too early for Alastor—barely even three.

"It's just me, Severus."

He popped the last of the biscuit in his mouth and set Aberdeen back on her shelf before heading out into the main room. "You're home early." It was a good thing that he had come home early today as well.

Alastor smiled quickly, but it never reached his eyes and he looked…older…than Severus had ever seen him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing for you to worry about."

Severus glared. "Are you all right?"

"Aye. It's…a friend of mine was caught in an ambush today. Her sister is dead, and the mediwitches aren't sure whether or not she'll recover. I'd have stayed at St. Mungo's, but they've got her in the isolation ward and won't allow any visitors."

"Is she another Auror?" At least if it was a woman he didn't have to worry about Gideon or Fabian.

"No, no, just someone I went to school with. We…." He shook his head. "We've been friends for a long time."

Severus was curious whether they might be a bit more than friends, but this didn't seem to be the time to ask. Besides, it wasn't actually any of his business. "Do you want dinner?" It wasn't much to offer, but he didn't precisely have a great deal of experience trying to make other people feel better.

Alastor gave him a half-smile. "No, lad, it's more than a bit early, and Fabian and Gideon will probably be coming by later to eat us out of house and home anyway. Why don't you fetch one of those books of yours and we'll try an exercise or two?"

Severus nodded agreeably and went to find a charms book he'd looked at last week. After all, he wasn't spending every afternoon studying anymore, so he'd be better off trying something that he had at least _some_ talent at.

Silencing charms took up the majority of the afternoon, and when a knock at the door interrupted them Severus was surprised to see that the sun had set. "I'll go start dinner."

"Do you need any help?"

"No, thank you." He'd put the pork pie together last night, it really only needed to be heated. Although if there were going to be four of them eating he'd probably best put some potatoes or something on as well. If they even _had_ potatoes…maybe peas or sweetcorn. He could hear muted conversation from the other room as he set about getting the meal ready, but nothing particularly distinct.

He was surprised to see a fourth wizard in the outer room when he went to let them know that dinner was ready. He'd met Caradoc—Fabian's partner—once before but only in passing. He'd thought the man had seemed rather jittery to be an Auror, but then anyone who spent the majority of his days in the company of either Prewett had a perfect right to uncertain nerves. It seemed that half of the reason that Alastor's and Gideon's partnership worked as well as it did was because Alastor ignored two-thirds of what came out of the other man's mouth. Still, the man greeted him politely enough, and there was plenty of food to go around.

The meal passed mostly in silence…even Fabian and Gideon were subdued although they did take the time to tease him about making someone an excellent wife someday.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Severus had to ask after their visitors had finally taken their leave.

"Well enough, I suppose. I won't likely be home for dinner tomorrow; the healers should be letting Marlene have visitors so I'll probably stay at St. Mungo's for a bit."

"Why—why was she attacked?" Severus asked.

"I wish I knew, lad. She works for the Floo Network Authority, and her sister was an assistant in the Ludicrous Patents Office…I don't know why either of them would have been targets for anyone. And neither does anyone else I've spoken to." He patted Severus on the shoulder lightly. "I think I'm going to read in my room for a bit. Don't stay up too late."

"Yes, sir."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus carefully summoned a glass of water, tugging at the collar of his nightshirt. Not that it was particularly constricting, but his throat was really bothering him. He'd ended up picking at leftovers for dinner since Alastor hadn't been home…hadn't felt up to eating a great deal himself. He'd gone to bed early and had been sleeping quite well, at least until this bloody tickling sensation in his throat woke him up and was now refusing to go away.

He muffled his next set of coughs and then took a long swallow. The coolness was a relief at first, but it passed all too quickly and before he'd done more than get comfortable again the tickling was back. "Merlin's beard."

Either he'd picked up the world's fastest-acting bug, or that bloody hood had leaked this afternoon. Igneus Caliga was one of the potions from the new list, and he'd decided to give it a try after he'd finished the Draught of Living Death, and since it was a mist it had required protection to brew. More protection than most, actually. Its common name wasn't burning mist as an affectation. If only he could remember more about this Riddle character…this potion was considerably more aggressive than anything he'd made previously. By an order of magnitude. He'd actually considered about not making it at all, but he'd already proved capable of more difficult potions and he suspected that if he refused outright his employer would consider their agreement terminated. That wasn't what he wanted; aside from the fact that he was enjoying the work, the money was quite good. He had enough now to pay for his books for Hogwarts next year, and probably a new robe or two besides. "I think the first thing I'll buy is a fitted hood," he muttered into his blankets.

He reached for the water and tried to take a quick sip without spilling…unfortunately a coughing spell made his hands shake, and he dropped the glass onto the bed. He swore for a moment and then cast a quick drying charm on the blankets and pillow before summoning more water. If he knew where Alastor kept his potions at he'd go looking for something soothing, but he didn't and the last thing he was going to do was wake his guardian up in the middle of the night. "At this rate I'm going to be awake when he leaves for work anyway."

An hour later and he was having trouble muffling his coughs. Water didn't seem to be doing any good any more, nor did any other liquid substance in Alastor's preserver. Well, he hadn't tried the alcohol, but…. He buried his face in his pillow and tried to hold his breath in the hopes that that would do some good.

The door swung open abruptly, and Alastor stamped in. "Sounds like you're coughing up your lungs, lad."

Severus sat up quickly, still trying to stem the current round of coughs. "S-sorry."

"Hmph."

A hand reached for him, and he tensed immediately.

"Easy, now." A calloused palm pressed against his forehead lightly and then Alastor settled on the edge of the bed. "Act as though you're expecting a clout." He waited until Severus finally managed to stop coughing and then raised his wand. "Let's have a look."

"What?"

"Open your mouth. Spent enough time in St. Mungo's to pick up a diagnostic spell or two."

With no better ideas—and no inclination to disobey at this point although he wasn't sure what he'd do if Alastor recognized what was causing his trouble—he did as he was told.

"You've certainly got something irritating your throat down there," Alastor said after a moment. "And all this coughing isn't helping matters. Come along."

Severus had never been inside the older man's rooms…as with the rest of the house it was filled with mismatched furniture, including another overstuffed bookshelf that he knew better than to approach no matter how much he might like to. There was also a fireplace that, judging by the plate next to it, was the floo connection to the house. There were so many wards on _it_ that they were very nearly visible to the naked eye.

"All right, have a sip of this. Just a sip, mind you, it's a bit strong."

He took the bottle cautiously. "What is it?"

"Good lad," Alastor praised.

Severus hadn't the faintest idea what he might have done that was praiseworthy at this point, but it was far better than a reprimand for waking Alastor up—or, for that matter, for mixing potentially hazardous potions after sneaking out—so…. He recognized most of the ingredients Alastor named, although the potion itself wasn't familiar, and after a moment to make sure he wasn't about to start coughing again took another sip from the vial. And promptly choked again, although this time it wasn't caused by any tickling. He'd actually _felt_ a numbing sensation flow down his throat.

"There now, I suspect that's a bit better."

"Yes, sir."

There was a light pat on his shoulder, and then Alastor put the vial back in the cabinet and turned him towards the door. "Back to bed with you. You'll likely need a bit more in the morning, but I'll wake you up before I leave to make sure."

Severus nodded slightly. "Thank you."

"Go on," Alastor returned gruffly with another pat.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rough hands had him by the shoulders and Severus lashed out automatically, twisting to get away. They weren't going to hurt him; he wasn't going to _let_ them hurt him. If he could just get to his wand—it was tucked under his pillow—but someone had his wrists now, pulling him upright, and—

"Shh, lad. It's just Alastor. I didn't mean to frighten you. There now, that's right."

Severus opened his eyes and found himself propped up against his guardian, wrists pinned in his lap by larger hands. "'lastor?"

"Aye. Suppose I didn't go about that so well, did I?"

Severus couldn't help tensing as he was twisted around to face Alastor. "Sorry." Just brilliant, attacking his guardian. It was a good thing he _hadn't_ managed to reach his wand.

Alastor waved it off, brandishing his wand. "Open up."

He opened his mouth obediently and let Alastor spell him.

"Well, the irritation has gone down, but there's still a bit of damage. You must have picked up a bit of a bug." He nodded to a bottle on the bedside table. "If it starts bothering you again, you take one sip of that. _One_, mind, and make certain there's at least four hours between doses. I'll leave my room open—don't be messing about with anything else, but you floo me at the Ministry if you start feeling poorly again. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Not that he'd ever consider doing anything of the sort, but….

A rough hand caught him under the chin and lifted his eyes to Alastor's. "You floo me if you feel poorly, lad. I'm not minded to come home for lunch and find you sick to your stomach. Spent enough time in St. Mungo's of late."

Severus gulped, but there wasn't much he could do but agree. A bit more sincerely this time. "Yes, sir."

"All right, no reason you shouldn't go on back to sleep for a bit then."

Severus lay back down slowly, feeling the heavier duvet being pulled back up and tucked into place over his shoulders. He wasn't…accustomed…to being treated like this. Mum used to, when he was younger and sick, but at Hogwarts there was just the mediwizard to pour potions down your throat and banish you to your dormitory, and at his grandparents house…. He shivered slightly.

"Do you want another blanket?"

"No, sir. I'm fine."

"_Alastor_, lad. There's no need for the 'sir,' you know that."

Unsure how to respond, Severus kept his mouth shut, and after a moment he felt the mattress shift as Alastor stood. "H-have a good day."

"I'll see you at lunch—you floo if you want me before then."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

It was with some relief that Severus put the vials of Igneus Caliga in the tray…he'd stopped and ordered a hood from the apothecary in Diagon Alley, but it wouldn't be coming in until next week and he didn't want to chance inhaling any more of the potion. Alastor had been amazingly accommodating, but Severus had absolutely no desire to spend another few days attempting to cough off half the skin in his windpipe. This was the first time that he'd had the opportunity to return to the lab…Alastor or one of the Prewetts had come to check up on him at lunch the past few days and he hadn't wanted to risk being unable to make it back in time. Aside from a packet of Jobberknoll feathers and half as many coins in the tray as he was accustomed to receiving for a finished there was no sign that anyone else had been in here though. Nothing had been moved so much as a centimeter. "Just as well." The Veritaserum he'd started two weeks ago was about to enter the second stage; he needed to get the next set of ingredients ready so that they could be added as soon as it was ready.


	8. A Right Mess

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

Severus frowned, staring out the front window. It was _late_…granted that Alastor didn't keep to a set schedule, but when he didn't think he was going to be home before dinner he said so. And even when he hadn't said something in advance he'd never been more than a few hours late before. He checked the clock again. Half-past midnight. He turned back towards Alastor's room. Alastor had started leaving it open after Severus had been sick—for access to the floo if nothing else—and he was very tempted to floo the Prewetts. Gideon was Alastor's partner so it was reasonable to assume that they were together, but maybe Fabian knew— The door swung open, and he spun. "Alastor?"

"Aye. Hello, lad."

Severus moved to take his cloak…wherever he'd been it had obviously left some marks. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Just a bit tired. Gideon and I tangled with a nasty bunch—got out of it with nothing but a few scrapes and a banged up knee, but it's been a long night. Offer an arm, there's a good lad."

It was…disconcerting…just how heavily his guardian was leaning on him as they made their way down the hall, but Severus did his best not to show his worry. Alastor only _had_ one knee in truth, and if he'd injured it walking probably wasn't a great deal of fun. "Do you want me to bring some dinner? I can heat it up."

"That's all right, I grabbed a bite at the Ministry. Have you been waiting up for me?"

Severus shrugged and moved sideways as Alastor sank down to sit on the bed.

"You needn't have; there's no sense in both of us being up at all hours."

He shrugged again, and Alastor patted his arm.

"All right. Bed for you as well."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

There was _something_ going on, Severus decided as he shoved the remains of dinner in the preserver for the third night in a row. Alastor would never say exactly what, but he wasn't getting home until well past ten most nights—sometimes later—and when he did get in he was exhausted and generally injured in some way. Oh, nothing major, but some of the injuries had obviously been worse when they'd been inflicted and then partially healed in the interim. Like his knee. He knew full well that Alastor didn't _have_ to tell him anything—not any more than he'd had to take in a thieving teenager—but if he would just say something besides 'don't worry' maybe Severus would actually be able to get a decent night's sleep. He'd thought he'd have better luck with one of the Prewetts, but he'd talked to Gideon for a few minutes yesterday and it had been like talking to a stone wall. Oh, he'd joked around a bit, but as far as giving out any actual information…nothing. On the bright side, with Alastor coming in so late he was free to stay in the lab later, but somehow the idea wasn't as appealing as it might have been.

He sank down on the couch and picked up the book on the side table. It had been in the box this morning, along with a few more coins…directions for another set of potions he was supposed to make. Some of these—most of these—were like the Igneus Caliga. No use that he could see other than as a weapon. Fire that spread on water, double and triple-agent poisons…. He'd tried to ask around about his employer discretely on his way to and from the apothecary in the mornings, but aside from the fact that a boy with the name Riddle had once worked at Borgin and Burkes he'd been able to figure out next to nothing. He knew he'd heard the name before, probably at Hogwarts, and it was starting to greatly bother him.

He flipped through the book for the umpteenth time. He shouldn't do it. He shouldn't make any of these. He should stick to the simple things, the safe things…except that he _could_ do it, and part of him wasn't willing to give up the opportunity of working in a lab all his own just for the sake of a little squeamishness.

The door swung open, and he stood and tucked the book into his robes. "Alastor?"

"Fabian and Caradoc," the younger Prewett corrected. "Come on, you need to get an overnight bag together."

"What? Why?"

"Alastor and Gideon are in St. Mungo's…I don't want to leave you here alone tonight."

"Are they okay? Can we go see them?" Why hadn't anyone told him earlier?

"I'll take you in the morning. Why don't you go and get that bag?"

"I…but…are they okay?"

"I'm sure they will be. It's nothing to worry about."

"Yes, it is! Alastor keeps saying 'don't worry' and comes home hurt, you say 'nothing to worry about' when two people—or more—are in St. Mungo's…. Why in Merlin's name shouldn't I be worried?!" Severus was surprised at how loud he'd gotten by the end of that little tirade, but the idea of Alastor being injured enough to require hospitalization on top of the fact that no one seemed willing to tell him _anything_….

"As I said, I'm sure that they will be fine, but the healers won't allow visitors right now so why don't you go pack a few things and we'll go back to my flat. We'll go in the morning as soon as you wake up."

"It'll be morning in two hours," Severus muttered, but not cooperating obviously wouldn't gain him anything at this point so he went to fetch a change of clothes.

"Can you at least tell me what happened?" Severus asked as Caradoc floo'd back to his own home from the Prewett flat.

Fabian shrugged. "Unfortunately we don't know all that much. They were pursuing a group of Deatheaters through an abandoned shop when one of them turned and threw a glass jar in their direction. Either it hit the ground and broke or one of them blasted it and…well, as far as the healers can tell there was some kind of smoke or vapor or something in the jar that got into their throats and lungs and left some pretty severe burns. It dissipated before the backup team got there, but it did a fair bit of damage first. Since the healers don't know exactly what hit them…well, it might take some time for them to fully recover. Are you all right?"

Severus had gone cold at the mention of vapor, and those symptoms…. He remembered all too well the scratching in his throat, and that had been after the inhalation of minute quantities while wearing a hood. The book had described—vaguely—the effects of a full dose, and—

"Severus? Did you hear me?"

"Y-yeah. I need to see Alastor. I need to see the healers."

"I told you, we'll go tomorrow morning."

"I need to go _now!_"

"Severus!"

"I know what it was!" He hadn't meant to scream, he really hadn't, but even when he'd considered that the mist could be used as a weapon the idea that it could be used on someone that he _knew_…. Fabian must have been talking, probably asking him something, because he was shaken sharply a moment later. "What?"

"If you know what it is, what _is_ it?"

"I-Igneus Caliga. Burning mist."

"And just how do you know that's what it was? Just because you've seen the name—"

"I read about it in a book," Severus interrupted. "I _know_ that's what it is." Because now he knew where he'd heard the name Riddle before as well…he'd been in the Slytherin common room late last fall trying to study for a transfiguration test when a small group of seventh years had come in. They hadn't noticed him curled up in one of the armchairs by the fire, and he wouldn't have paid attention at all to them if they hadn't been talking so strangely. Almost as though it was some sort of code. Malfoy had sent one of them a letter about his patron, a man who went by the name of Riddle. Except that wasn't his only name, there had been something else that one of them—a Lestrange cousin—had whispered. Lord something. Severus had heard the term Deatheater that night as well, although he'd thought it was two separate words, another sort of code. _How_ he had forgotten….

"Do you remember how to make it?" Fabian demanded. "Do you remember anything about what was in it?"

"I think so." That book was back at the apothecary, but he could probably remember the ingredients at least…. As for brewing; well there was—he yelped as a hand around his upper arm dragged him towards the door, and then he realized where they were most likely going and he trotted to keep up with Fabian's longer stride until they reached the apparition boundary.

"What do you think you're doing?" a woman sitting at St. Mungo's front desk yelped as Fabian and Severus came through at just less than a dead run. "Where do you think you're _going_?!"

"Potion and Plant Poisoning," Fabian snarled, and Severus glanced up in surprise. This wasn't quite the same joking man he was used to dealing with…Alastor had said once that the Prewetts were dangerous when they needed to be, but he'd never quite believed it before.

"Do you realize what time it i—?"

She was cut off as the door swung shut behind them, and they made their way up to the third floor quickly.

"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over," a mediwizard said, moving to block them from entering the ward.

"Who is in charge of the treatment of the two Aurors brought in a few hours ago?"

"That would be Healer Brunswick, but she went off duty an hour ago."

"Well, get her back. This one knows what they were hit with."

Severus ignored the two men as they continued to argue, scanning the ward for Alastor, but neither he nor Gideon seemed to be here. Even in the dim lighting Gideon's red hair would have stood out…had they been taken to a different floor?

While he was distracted Fabian must have convinced the mediwzard that it would be easier to do as he was asked—or, rather, told—as the other man finally gave a stiff nod and turned back for the corner office. There must have been some sort of floo set up in there because shortly after he went in, an older woman emerged. "I'm Edwina Brunswick; my colleague said that you knew something about what burned those Aurors?"

"He does," Fabian said with a jerk of his head. "Igeeus—what did you call it?"

"Igneus Caliga," Severus supplied.

"Do you know how it's made?"

"I think so."

"All right, come with me."

He balked. "Can I see Alastor?"

"In a few minutes. I need to pick your brain about what exactly is in this nastiness. 'Burning mist'…you just know that that isn't going to end well. Come along. What's your name?"

"Severus. Snape."

She led him into another office off the main ward. It was cramped, with nearly every flat surface littered with parchments, and he wondered idly how anyone could find anything in a place like this. Somehow she dug out a blank piece of parchment from one of the piles without even seeming to glance at it and pulled a quill out from under another pile. "All right, Severus. I want you to start from the beginning and tell me everything you know about this potion. Ingredients, anything about the making of it…if you're guessing at something _tell_ me that it's a guess, but guess anyway."

He took a deep breath. "Well, the ingredients that I remember are…."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus licked his lips, surprised to feel how dry his mouth and throat were. He must have been talking for a good two hours…after taking extensive notes on everything he'd recited, the woman had gone back and made him go over almost all of the points a second time, forcing him to expand on what he'd said and repeat himself. And then had asked some truly bizarre questions—how in Merlin's name was _he_ supposed to know the age of the yarrow root when it had been gathered? He knew you needed powdered yarrow root, he certainly didn't recall seeing anything requiring that it being exactly two months, four days, and three hours old or something equally ridiculous. Granted that her probing questions had helped him remember a thing or two about the brewing process, but beyond that it had been an exercise in frustration. He'd told her as much as he could; while on most days he'd be perfectly willing to discuss potion properties with someone who was obviously well-versed in the subject, right now he just wanted to see Alastor. "Is there anything _else_?"

She frowned down at her notes. "Well, I don't think so, but I'm sure I'll be able to find you if I think of anything."

"Then can I please go see them?"

"Of course. He can take you."

Severus twisted in surprise to see Fabian standing behind him. He hadn't heard the man come in. Brown eyes bored into his, and Severus' stomach clenched. That dangerous look was back on Fabian's face, and this time it was aimed at _him_. "Can we…?"

"This way."

Fabian didn't seem inclined to voice whatever was bothering him—although Severus didn't precisely have to guess what it was; if the potions' masters at St. Mungo's hadn't known what Alastor and Gideon had been hit with just how did _he_—leading the way into a small private room off the main ward. It was approximately twice the size of Healer Brunswick's office, and Severus suspected that there were probably half a dozen others like it concealed as that office had been. "Alastor?"

The larger figure twitched a hand, and he moved towards the bedside slowly. Fabian had already moved to the head of the other bed and was speaking quietly.

Severus took a deep breath and stepped up beside Alastor. His eyes were open although he looked exhausted…then again, if the lines around his eyes and mouth were any indication he was probably in too much pain to sleep. "I…." What was he supposed to say? I'm sorry? Fabian was already suspicious enough; if they found out that he'd been the one to make the mist…. Well, he wasn't entirely sure what would happen, but it wouldn't be good. Assaulting an Auror was definitely a crime, and even if it had been done indirectly when you considered the fact that he'd snuck out and made the mist while he was supposed to be under house arrest he very much doubted that he'd get any sort of leniency.

A rough hand patted his, and he glanced back up to meet Alastor's eyes. "Are you all right?" Stupid question, but at this point there was little else that he could say.

Alastor reached over to the bedside table and picked up a piece of parchment and a quill, scratching out a message quickly. _Will be soon enough._ _Can't talk now though…not even supposed to sit up. Too much stress on my lungs or somesuch. What are you doing here so late? Ought to be home in bed._

"It's…Fabian told me what happened to you, and I recognized it. The description, I mean, of the stuff that burned your throat and lungs."

_You know what it was?_

"Burning mist, it's called. I read about it once. I just finished telling the healer what I remembered."

_Knew you were a clever lad._

Severus shrugged. As much as he appreciated compliments about his intelligence, right now he'd have much preferred that he'd never heard of that damn potion. "I…does it hurt bad?"

_Not good, I'll tell you that._ He twitched his head sideways slightly, apparently looking for Fabian, but his must have jarred something because he hissed in pain—which, of course, led to more pain as his lungs were forced to exhale harder.

"Alastor? Is there something I can get—maybe some kind of pain reliever?"

He closed his eyes, obviously riding out the pain, and then picked up the paper again. _Healers are doing what they can. Tell Fabian to take you home now, all right? It's late._

"But—"

A hand banged the mattress and he pointed at '_now'_ sharply.

Severus sighed but looked over at when Gideon was writing out something for Fabian. Fabian must have sensed his scrutiny because his head lifted. "You're ready to leave?"

"Alastor wants me to."

"Ah. A moment, then."

He and Gideon finished their conversation, and then Severus and Fabian made their way out of the hospital in a slightly more sedate manner than that which they'd entered. The woman at the front desk glared at them from the time they entered the lobby until they finally left the hospital proper.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus glared at the door to the private room, kicking the leg of the bed he was sitting on idly. The healer had insisted that he wait out here while the first stage of the antidote she'd concocted was given…he'd tried to argue, but since he was underage she'd insisted. If he hadn't known perfectly well that Alastor would go along with whatever she'd said he'd have pushed, but….

He flopped back on the unoccupied bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was supposed to happen next. He hadn't been back to the apothecary's in two days…he wasn't quite sure whether just ceasing to show up would be enough to terminate his agreement or if Malfoy was going to come looking for him again. Or even someone else. He didn't want them to come…he didn't want to even think about that damn laboratory. He shouldn't have gone in the first place—it wasn't like he really needed the money. Alastor had bought him clothes, and he could always make do with hand-me-down textbooks that older students always left in the common rooms when they didn't need them any more….

He sat up and kicked the bed leg again. It had never been the money, and he knew it. Oh, it had been nice, but the challenge was the important part. The idea that he could make potions that even NEWT level students had trouble with. He snorted. He'd made them, all right. And made a right mess to go along with it.


	9. Lying Is Bad

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed…I didn't realize anonymous reviews were disabled, but it's fixed now._

_WARNING—corporal punishment of a teenager in this chapter._

Severus sat at the head of Alastor's bed, relieved to hear him arguing with Gideon and Fabian. The antidote had worked on the younger Auror and Gideon had been released several days ago, but Alastor had taken a larger dose and for awhile the Healer hadn't been certain that it was going to be enough. She'd tried to keep the knowledge from Severus, but he wasn't a complete dunderhead. And Gideon and Fabian had been worried as well. From the way Alastor was talking he wasn't going to be going home tonight either…some concern about a spot on one of his lungs. Personally, judging the bellowing he was obviously capable of, Severus thought that they were being a little paranoid.

He winced as there was a sudden halt in the conversation as Alastor choked slightly. Some of the damage from the mist _was_ permanent, unfortunately; Alastor's voice had taken on gravelly overtones that it hadn't had before courtesy of some scarring on his vocal cords. And whatever he said, it didn't take a genius to figure out that it was still sore sometimes. Still, he didn't seem to mind overly much, so Severus pushed his guilt firmly aside. Not for the first time.

"Well, we don't have to stand here and take this," Fabian said in an indignant tone, trying to bring back a lighter tone to the conversation.

Alastor snorted. "Clearly not, seeing as you're sitting."

"Now just because you're a—"

"Language; there are children present," Gideon said primly, nodding to Severus.

Severus rolled his eyes and aimed a kick at his shin, and all three men chuckled.

"Well, there's a pleasant sound," Healer Brunswick said as she entered the small room. "However, I've an examination to complete, so why don't the three of you head home for the night? Provided everything appears normal, Mr. Moody will be being released tomorrow afternoon."

"I suppose we should do as the lady says," Gideon said with an exaggerated sigh. "Alastor, be good."

Alastor made a rude gesture in return and then patted Severus' arm. "I'll see you tomorrow, lad. Try not to kill either of them in the meantime."

"Yes, sir. Or…no, sir. Hm." He frowned, considering. "I'll do one of the two."

Gideon mimed a cuff over his head, and Alastor chuckled. "That'll do, I suppose."

They apparated back to the Prewett's flat…Severus had been sleeping in Gideon's room while he was in the hospital and had since been moved to the couch. He didn't really mind, but it would be nice to be home in his own bed. And with Alastor _not_ in a hospital room.

"You two want anything in particular for dinner?" Fabian called from the kitchen.

"Whatever," Gideon yelled back.

"Anything is fine," Severus agreed, forcing himself to add, "Do you need help?"

"I suppose you could chop carrots."

Severus came into the kitchen cautiously, relaxing as he noted that Fabian wasn't paying any particular attention to him. He still hadn't been questioned about his knowledge of the potion that had been used on Gideon and Alastor, but there was no doubt that the younger Prewett had been suspicious. And since seeing the expression on his face in the Healer's little office…well, being in the same space as Fabian had been making Severus a little nervous recently. He'd come up with a story to tell if he was asked—one that he was fairly sure covered all of the important points without any obvious holes that he could find—but while he was fairly certain that he _would_ be asked at some point considering the circumstances, he couldn't just go around blurting it out without arousing the suspicion he was trying to avoid. So…deal with the discomfort and pretend everything was fine. He could manage that.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Alastor wasn't allowed to apparate himself home from the hospital much to his disgust, instead he had to side-along with Gideon while Fabian took Severus. He was still muttering about stupid regulations as he let them in the front door.

"At least they didn't insist that you be carried out," Severus pointed out with a quick smile.

"Bite your tongue—if they hear you, they'll probably institute a new rule."

"Hm. Not much here…."

"Gideon, stop ransacking our kitchen. If you want to be useful, take Severus and go find us some supplies."

Severus was still technically on house arrest so he couldn't go alone, but the idea of leaving Fabian alone with Alastor…. He shook his head. He couldn't afford to show uneasiness, not unless he wanted to lead them directly to the questions that he didn't want them to ask. "Can we? I really don't want pot roast that's grown its own side dish for dinner."

"Oh, now that's just vile. Hurry up and make a list. Fabian, you toss whatever's in that preserver out the nearest window."

"Why do I have to be the one to clean it up?" the other Prewett objected.

"Because I'm older than you so you have to do what I say."

Alastor chuckled at the brothers' antics, passing a never-out quill over to Severus. "I know we need bread…."

By the time he and Gideon had returned from the market Alastor had gotten tired and gone to lie down for a bit…Severus had worried at first, but Fabian had assured him that Alastor would be fine.

"You heard the mediwitch talking about all these potions?" Gideon asked. "What to take when and the dosage?"

"Yes."

"Well, you'll probably have to badger Alastor into following those instructions. And do badger him—don't let him bully you into forgetting about it. He has an incredibly _annoying_ habit of insisting that he's perfectly find and promptly ends up with an infection or something equally idiotic that requires desk duty for a week or two. When he's on desk duty, I'm on desk duty, and I really _hate_ desk duty."

"Yes, sir," Severus agreed with a grin. "I should tell him to avoid taking his medication and—"

Fabian snickered as Severus dodged his brother's fist. "Exactly. In fact, you should suggest that he te—"

Gideon rounded on his brother. "Alastor never told _me_ not to kill anyone."

"He's not supposed to go back to work for another three days," Severus pointed out. Hopefully he'd have finished healing by then. "Anyway, I guess I should start dinner. Are you two staying?"

"You have to ask?" Fabian grinned. "You know, it occurs to me that maybe I should keep you and send Gideon to stay here…you're a much better cook."

"Uh…no thank you?" He relaxed a bit further as the three of them got to work on dinner…or, rather, he got to work and the two of them alternately harassed him and each other. Gideon hadn't said anything while the two of them were alone together at the market, and Fabian hadn't said anything while they were alone at the flat…maybe he'd been worrying about nothing. After all, he did read a lot—and they knew it—so maybe they hadn't thought anything about his explanation.

Alastor didn't awaken for dinner, but Severus took him a plate later with his medication and he ate willingly enough. It didn't look as though Fabian had said anything to him either….

Severus—after feeding Aberdeen, he'd forgotten the day after Alastor had been injured and made sure to come back every day since—laid down and considered the matter a bit further. It did seem like he'd just overreacted to Fabian's expression…after all, he'd been worried about his brother. One of them would probably ask him something at _some_ point, but there was no need for him to invent anything elaborate to deal with it.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Severus, come in here for a moment, would you?"

Severus looked up from the book he'd been reading, slightly surprised. He hadn't heard Alastor come in, and he hadn't been gone that long…a glance at the clock confirmed that it wasn't much past noon. But then this was supposed to have been Alastor's first day back at work so he was probably being made to take it slowly. Severus grinned. No doubt very much against his wishes considering his comments for the staff at St. Mungo's when they'd been giving him last-minute orders about taking care of himself. "Coming." He put Aberdeen back on her shelf with a promise to play with her more later and headed out into the sitting room. Alastor looked terribly serious, and he frowned. "What's wrong? Is someone hurt?"

"No. Sit down, lad. You and I need to have a talk."

Severus felt his stomach clench, but he kept his face blank and took a seat on the couch a bit away from his guardian. "What is it?"

"Gideon and I were filling out our reports on the incident today, and when we talked to the Healer she said that you were able to give them all of the ingredients and almost perfect directions as to how that potion had been made. How did you know?"

All right, so this was going to be it. He'd gone over this a dozen times in his head, so it shouldn't be any great issue. "My grandparents had all kinds of books in their library. I like to read, and I'm good at potions so…." He shrugged. "I think I read all the potions journals and textbooks they had. "They were furious with Mum for not teaching me magic back when we lived with Dad since I was so far behind when we went to live with them—" which had been ridiculous since even pureblood children as young as he'd been at the time hadn't been capable of much, but that was his grandparents all around—"so back when I was little and then since then over breaks and stuff from Hogwarts they made me do different things like potions and charms and curses just to prove that I wasn't totally useless." Still perfectly true, as it happened.

Alastor snorted, although his expression didn't change.

Severus concentrated on keeping his expression the same and continued. "Igneus Caliga was one of those potions. I remembered it when Fabian described what you'd been hit with, and…." This was the part of the story that was not true, of course, and he was relieved to find that it didn't sound awkward or rushed. He hadn't been sure whether he should admit to having actually brewed it before, but he couldn't remember if he'd let slip anything like that to the Healer and if he _had_ it would be better to admit it. Not a good idea to let them think he was holding things back. The serious expression still hadn't faded from Alastor's face, and he bit his lip slightly. "It's probably banned by the Ministry, isn't it?"

"Aye."

They wouldn't punish him for something his grandparents had forced him to do, right? He didn't think so—Alastor wasn't like that, at least. And even if they asked his grandparents…well, it wasn't like they'd actually remember anything he'd done correctly, so….

"And this?" Alastor produced a book from his robes. "Gideon found it in his rooms, and he knows it's not his or his brother's."

"Oh. I was reading it when Fabian came and got me…it must have fallen out of my robes when I was staying at their flat." He hadn't realized that he'd taken it with him—or that he'd lost it.

"I'd gathered that much, but I'd like to know where it came from."

"From the bookshelves," Severus tried. He hoped against hope that Alastor wouldn't realize that the book wasn't his…he had so many of them, surely one more wouldn't stand out. He hadn't noticed that the other potions book wasn't his, after all. Of course if he'd actually opened it…. Severus winced internally. None of Alastor's books had anything like those potions in them; not any of the ones that Severus had access to, at least. Alastor kept most of the more dangerous books, the ones with dark curses and such, in his room on the shielded shelf…maybe he'd think Severus somehow stole it from his room? Severus would be punished for doing something like that he had no doubt, but a couple hundred lines weren't that bad…. Besides, what else could he say at this point? That he'd gotten it by owl order? Where would he have found the money—or, for that matter, the owl?

Alastor sighed. "I'm a tolerable hand at potions, Severus, but I wouldn't have picked up a random volume on them for any reason I can think of."

Severus ducked his head. He'd sorted through the contents of Alastor's shelves more than once, and it was true enough that potions didn't make up any sizeable portion.

"Was flipping through it just to see if I could remember when I got it, and I found this."

Severus glanced up, and the knot in his stomach tightened abruptly. Even folded as it was he recognized it; it was the note Riddle had left with the book. Among other things, it thanked him for his previous potions he'd made, as well as indicating the new ones that he required and a basic timeframe for when he'd like them. It didn't mention any of the previous potions by _name_, but its existence alone…well, Alastor wasn't an idiot. Damn it, why hadn't he taken the note out of the book and left it in the laboratory? Merlin's beard, _he_ wasn't an idiot; he should have left the bloody book—

"I take it you've been out while I've been at work?"

"I…no…I didn't…I stayed…." He hadn't planned for this, and while he prided himself on being able to think on his feet there wasn't really much he could say to excuse himself in this situation.

Alastor pushed himself up off the couch, a strong grip on Severus' upper arm lifting him to his feet as well. "Come along. I'd hoped I wouldn't have to do this."

Severus more than half expected to be taken back to the Ministry for questioning there—for the name on the note if nothing else—and he was surprised when Alastor simply led him into the study.

A flick of Alastor's free hand had the chair scooting away from the desk, and then he released Severus' arm and held out his hand. "Give me your wand."

Severus frowned but did as he'd been ordered—it wasn't as though Alastor couldn't take it from him anyway—and watched as Alastor tucked it into a pocket.

Alastor nodded to the empty desktop. "Bend over and lift your robes."

"Wh—" Alastor began to unbuckle his belt, and Severus' eyes went wide as he figured out what was about to happen. "_No! _Please, you don't have to do that!"

He shook his head, hands not even pausing. "I've been lenient with you, lad, but I'll not tolerate lying."

"I won't lie again, I _promise._"

"No, I imagine you won't, or at least you'll bloody well think twice about it after I've finished." He pulled the belt free and doubled it, indicating the desk a second time. "I don't want to have to repeat myself again."

Severus shook his head, unable to take his eyes off the swinging strip of leather. Alastor had never used any kind of physical punishment before, but his father had when he was younger…those belts had been lighter and thinner than the one in Alastor's hand and had still left him welted and bruised. And Alastor was stronger than his father had been as well. "Please, _don't_."

"You're going to get a belting for lying, lad. That part isn't negotiable." He put his free hand on Severus' arm, turning him towards the desk. "Like it or not I'm your guardian right now, and part of that is disciplining you when you've earned it. Frankly I've half a mind to use a cane, but as I have been lenient thus far that's probably harsher than you need."

Severus shook his head.

"The only choices you have right now are whether to accept your punishment and bend over that desk or make me put you over it myself. Mind, if you choose the second option I guarantee it'll be your backside that pays the price." Alastor's voice was horribly stern, and a frantic glance showed no sign of relenting in his expression.

"_Please…._"

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus lay face down on his bed, still sniffling. He'd eventually done as Alastor had ordered, but he couldn't imagine the whipping having been any worse if he _hadn't_. And then he'd had his sore backside planted firmly in the hard wooden chair, and he'd been ordered to start at the beginning. The confession of his crimes of the past summer been given through his tears with very little prompting from the man standing over him. Well…except for the part about brewing the Igneus Caliga. He hadn't _wanted_ to admit that he'd brewed the potion that had put Alastor and Gideon in the hospital, even under the threat of a second whipping. Unfortunately he hadn't been particularly convincing, and Alastor had eventually sighed and bent him back over the desk. His culpability in _that_ matter had been confessed between belt strokes and sobs.

He scrubbed at his eyes. At least Alastor had believed him when he'd sworn that he hadn't known who Riddle was…he might have messed up, but at least he hadn't deliberately hurt anyone. Especially anyone that he knew and liked. Not that he knew if that was going to matter in the end….

When it was finally over, Alastor had put him in his room with orders not to leave it until he returned…Severus had been too busy crying to point out that he didn't have anywhere else to go anyway. It had been over a week, almost two in fact, since he'd been to the apothecary's, and even if he'd been able to sit down for the bus ride there—_not_ bloody likely—he had no doubt that his employer was seriously unhappy with him by now. Besides, he didn't want to work for Riddle anymore, not after what he'd done. He _could_ go back to hiding in the abandoned building next the apothecary with the horde of coins that he'd accumulated; it wasn't that long until school started again….


	10. Plans

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment.  
_

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

The sky had begun to darken by the time Severus came up with a plan—a workable plan, since hiding in the abandoned building until school started had the obvious problem in that as soon as he was back at Hogwarts the Ministry would have him. By the time he'd come up with something better he was all too aware that Alastor would be returning at any time. Returning to take him back to the Ministry and…well, he had an unhappy suspicion that they'd consider his actions worthy of at least _some_ time in Azkaban. They might even break his wand; not only had he broken the law again, he'd also assaulted two Aurors. Indirectly, but still….

He got to his feet slowly, wincing. They still might break his wand; Alastor had taken it with him, and Severus couldn't afford to wait for him to return to try and get it back. He snorted. Like he had a chance against Alastor anyway. He had to get to Diagon Alley as quickly as possible and get a new wand before a hunt for him was on, and then…then he had to disappear. And the only place he was certain that he could disappear without detection was the muggle world. It would mean giving up his last few years at Hogwarts, but it had to be better than the alternative.

He'd miss potions. And defense. And arithmancy. The rest of it… he could take it or leave it, really. At least he wouldn't have to deal with scheming housemates and the Moronic Marauders anymore…that had to count for something. After a few minutes of consideration, he altered his plan slightly. The shop in Knockturn Alley would be a better place to get a wand; he doubted that the proprietor wasn't as knowledgeable as Ollivander and he knew that the wands weren't quite of the same quality, but no one who worked in Knockturn would even consider talking to Aurors. Then, if they broke his original wand and by extension canceled the underage magic spell tied to him at the Ministry, he'd be able to work fairly freely. Well, as freely as one could among muggles. He could study potions and arithmancy from whatever books he could get his hands on and maybe even do a little defense as well. It wouldn't be the same as the Mastery he'd dreamed about—he'd never been able to decided between potions and defense and occasionally considered trying for both after NEWTs—but at least it was something.

He shook his head. The only other option he could see now was to go to the Continent, but without any adult to sponsor him he'd have trouble getting into the schools there and they'd want his records from Hogwarts anyway. Leaving a paper trail like that rather defeated the purpose of disappearing. When he was of age…well, then maybe he'd go. You_could_ sit for NEWTs without having been in classes, you just had to pay for them.

He pulled out a few changes of clothes, rolling them into one of his other robes and tying it shut around them. If they didn't cancel the underage magic spell…well, he'd be of age in two years and the spell would cancel itself anyway. Two years wasn't really so long. He could still read. His money—all galleons, unfortunately, he had an unhappy suspicion that he'd be walking to London and he'd have to find someone there to convert it to muggle currency for him—was tucked into the robes he was wearing, and he looked unhappily at his bookshelf. He didn't want to leave Aberdeen here. Not that he thought Alastor would actually _hurt_ her, but…she was his. But how Severus could justify taking her when he didn't even know where he was going…he shook his head shrugged on his light cloak and then and put her into the left pocket. He couldn't take a chance that Alastor would detransfigure her back into a paperweight, and besides, if he left her here he'd never see her again.

After another glance at the bookshelf, he resolutely turned his back. There were more than a few volumes that he'd like to take with him, but aside from the fact that he couldn't afford to take more with him than he could easily carry, they weren't his. The clothing was a different story—it wasn't as though Alastor could wear or return any of the items—but he didn't have that excuse with the books.

He stopped in the kitchen for a moment to grab a quick snack for the walk and a package of crumbs for Aberdeen that should last her a few days and then carefully avoided looking in the study as he made his way to the front door. The rubbish bins sat against the wall to the right…his best bet was to open the door and run as fast as he could for the street. He checked his packages and Aberdeen to make sure he wouldn't drop anything or squish her and then took a deep breath and opened the door.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus picked at the stains on his robes, trying not to look like he was lurking in the alley. He'd managed to get most of the bits off his cloak, at least…it was the only one he had so obvious stains would have been an issue. The walk into London had taken what felt like forever—it hadn't, of course, but considering that he'd had to stay off the roads as much as he could to keep from attracting attention it hadn't been an easy trip either—and now he was stuck waiting outside the entrance to Diagon Alley for some wizard to come along. It didn't take active magic to open the wall, hence his never having been picked up for underage magic on his trips here, but it did apparently take a wand to trip the wards. The horn of the Knight Bus sounded in the distance, and he cursed quietly. _That_ would have saved him the walk, and it took passengers directly into Diagon as well. Of course then the driver would have seen him, but…well, it was too late now. No sense thinking about it.

He sank down against the wall, checking the pocket to make certain that Aberdeen was still safe before pulling the cloak around his shoulders again. Hopefully it would hide him from any casual glances by passersby.

"—um! Mum, look, it's a _boy_!"

Severus lifted his eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the sunlight. When had the sun come up? He blinked again and focused on the little girl was standing in front of him, pointing a finger in his direction. "Hm?"

"Ellen, come away from there!"

A larger hand yanked the girl back, and he scrubbed at his eyes and stood to face a woman with features strikingly similar to those of the little girl.

"And you! Just what are you doing here alone so early?" the woman demanded.

Severus thought quickly, or at least as quickly as his sleep-fogged mind would let him. "I'm supposed to meet my Mum here this morning—I've been staying with my uncle while she was on the Continent." She didn't look convinced so he shrugged and continued in a casual tone. "My uncle's a muggle so he couldn't take me into Diagon Alley himself, and I can't do magic over the summer so…." He feigned embarrassment and hoped she didn't know the truth about the glamour on the wall. "I guess I fell asleep."

"Hm." Her glare didn't waver.

"I don't suppose you could let me in? If I'm not here, I'm sure Mum will look for me in the Leaky Cauldron."

She gave a quick shake of her head. "Well, I'm hardly going to let a boy like you sit alone out here. I can't _imagine_ what your uncle was thinking. Or your mother for that matter. Come along, Ellen. And you too. " She took the girl's hand and tapped the wall sharply, leading the way through. On the other side, she stopped and turned back to Severus. "Are you certain that you'll be all right? Granted the Leaky Cauldron is better than that dirty alley, but still you're hardly old enough to be out on your own…."

"I'll be fine, ma'am. Thank you for your assistance."

She looked at him suspiciously for a moment longer, but the little girl tugged her hand and pointed excitedly at a sweet stand, and eventually she moved off.

"So far, so good." He went into the Leaky Cauldron just in case she was still watching, taking the opportunity to switch to an unstained robe and ordering a bowl of porridge for breakfast. He hadn't felt much like eating last night and had mostly picked at the snack he'd brought, and his stomach wasn't going to let him go much longer without a real meal. Knockturn first, he decided as he scraped the bowl clean; he wanted a wand. And then Gringotts. The goblins took client confidentiality very seriously, and their exchange rates weren't too horrendous. Better than he'd get elsewhere, at least. He climbed down off the stool and slipped back into the alley, keeping an eye out for anyone in Auror's robes. And for anyone with platinum blond hair as well…unfortunately he had no idea what this Riddle person looked like.

The look the proprietor of Knockturn Alley's wand shop gave him as he slipped in the door made him feel decidedly greasy, but it wasn't as though he had any other choice. "I need a wand. Preferably hawthorn, with a dragon-heartstring core." The core really wasn't negotiable, he'd gotten absolutely no reaction from wands with other cores in Ollivander's shop, but he was fairly certain that he'd be able to manage at least something with different woods. The man moved closer and there was something disturbing in his smile. Severus had to force himself to hold his ground…he'd be _much_ happier with a wand in his hand.

"Heartstring, hmm? Heartstring is expensive."

"I can pay."

"Oh?"

He took another step closer, and Severus crossed his arms over his chest and tried to channel his grandmother in a particularly snobbish mood. "Well, do you have any, or not?"

"I'm sure I can help you. If you'll come this way?"

"Your wands are there." He wasn't about to go into any back room with this creep. Nor was he going to let the hand stretching in his direction get any kind of grip on him.

The man's lips tightened and an annoyed look crossed his face. "I hardly leave my best wares out where anyone can get at them."

"If I wanted a _good_ wand, I'd go to Ollivander's," Severus sneered in response, a discrete glance showing that the path to the door was still clear if he needed to use it. At least it seemed that grandmother's attitude was a useful one to mimic in a situation like this. "I need something cheap without a lot of hassle. Can you help, or should I take my business elsewhere?"

The proprietor's expression took on a sour note and something rude was snarled in Severus' direction before a box was snatched off the nearest shelf and shoved at him. He opened it quickly and gave it a swish. "Tolerable, I suppose." It looked more like birch than hawthorn, but the core had to be heartstring since he could feel the magic flowing through it. Couldn't risk trying an actual spell, but…. "How much?"

The man's expression altered again. "Perhaps we could come to an—"

"In galleons," Severus snapped, this time taking a full step backwards. The wand was in his hand, now, and he wasn't about to let it go.

By the time that they'd come to an agreement—he paid more than he'd wanted to, but it was worth it to get out of there—nearly half an hour had passed. More time and more money than he'd have liked to spend…he was never going to let himself be disarmed again. Or if he did he was bloody well going to go to Ollivander's and damn being seen.

Severus checked the crowd as he stepped back out into Knockturn Alley. Busier than it had been…for a few seconds he considered slipping back into the apothecary's since it was unlikely that anyone would pay any attention to one boy in the crowd, but he couldn't afford to risk Riddle—or Malfoy—having set any kind of trap. It wasn't as though he could carry away much of anything anyway, any more than he could have taken Alastor's books. Best to get to Gringotts and get his money changed; he could still get out of here before lunchtime and catch one of the earlier muggle busses. Of course where he was going to take a bus to…well, his primary concern was getting out of the Wizarding world right now.

He did his best to avoid the other teenagers in the alley…the majority looked to be goofing off and enjoying their summers, but if he recognized them from Hogwarts they'd recognize him as well if he gave them any reason to. He was trying _not_ to be seen.

At least the goblin at the front desk didn't find much of interest in a lone teenager exchanging a small amount of money, and it was with some relief that Severus was finally able to cross back into muggle London and make his way to the train station. All that was left was to select a destination. It had to be a city, otherwise a lone teenager would stand out, but there were several to choose from. Not London, obviously, but….

He was studying the large map on the wall when he heard the floor creak immediately behind him, and then a strong hand had him by the arm. "Where in the bloody _hell_ have you been?"

Severus twisted, trying to free himself even as he recognized Alastor's voice. "I—"

Alastor gave him a vicious shake that left him slightly dizzy. "What in Merlin's name were you thinking? Do you have any idea how w—?" He broke off with a snarl and a terrifying glare, and after another shake he disapparated them both.

Severus stumbled as they arrived on the edge of Alastor's lawn, still more than slightly shocked. How had Alastor found him? Had he been waiting there, or was there some kind of tracking spell on him, or…? And then Alastor had apparated them out of a muggle train station? A muggle train station with muggles _in_ it?! He realized abruptly that he was being dragged towards the house and struggled to get his feet under him. For a man using a bloody crutch Alastor could move ridiculously quickly when he wanted.

"—even think about trying something like that again, I'll tell you that now, and Merlin help me if it requires taking half the skin off—"

His attempt to trot to keep up with Alastor's pace changed abruptly into an attempt to squirm away as Alastor's muttered threats sank in, but the grip on his upper arm was steel and he wasn't insane enough to reach for his wand. It wouldn't do any good; he'd just lose it and Merlin knew when he'd be able to get another. Alastor released his grip suddenly as they reached the front door, shifting his hand to Severus' collar and shoving into the house.

"Get in the study. I expect you know what to do."

"No, Alastor, please, I didn't mean—" Severus wasn't even certain _what_ he didn't mean, he just knew full well that he didn't want to get hit again. He'd discovered when he'd changed robes earlier that his backside wasn't the mass of bruises and welts that he'd expected—barely a mark, in fact, compared to what his father's beatings had been like—but it was still bloody sore with a bruise here and there and more whacks wouldn't help in the least. And from the look on his face, Alastor planned to at least repeat what he'd done yesterday. At the very _absolute_ least.

"Don't give a damn what you didn't mean." Alastor grabbed him again, tugging off his outer cloak and the packet of clothes and tossing them onto the bench by the door. Aberdeen, tucked in the cloak pocket, squealed on impact, but he didn't spare the pile of cloth more than a sharp glance.

Severus took a step in that direction but was forcibly turned and dragged towards the study. "_Please!_"

"Belt obviously didn't do one damn bit of good so we'll try something else."

Severus bit his lip. "It h—"

Alastor stopped in front of the desk, shifting his weight slightly. Now his free hand was wrapped around Severus' arm and he was using the arm that normally held the crutch to draw his wand. "_Accio_ quill."

It landed on the desk, and Severus yelped and twisted harder as a sharp rap from Alastor's wand transfigured it into a long, thin rod. "No!" One of his twists must have thrown Alastor a bit off balance because his grip finally slipped slightly. Severus pulled away fully; he couldn't get to the door, but at least he wasn't going to be immediately subjected to that thing. There had to be a way out of this somehow, he just had to think.

"Get back over here_now_," Alastor growled.

"No! Please, don't—"

Alastor lunged, and Severus leapt backwards and stumbled over the desk chair. It wasn't much of a stumble, but it gave Alastor enough time to grip the front of his robes, and without thinking Severus kicked at his good leg.

There was a 'crack' and for a moment Severus felt only an all-encompassing stab of pain. And then he realized that the pain was coming from his nose, and that there was blood running down his face. Rather a lot of blood.

For a few seconds everything was silent and horribly, horribly still. Severus didn't know what he looked like, but his guardian had a completely blank expression that was more frightening in its own way than the raging fury had been. And then Alastor had him by the front of his robes again.

Part of Severus was still in shock, but he struggled automatically. The desk didn't seem to be Alastor's destination, though; instead he tucked his crutch back under his arm and dragged Severus down the hall. It should have been a relief to be out of that room, but since Severus didn't know what Alastor planned to do now it just frightened him more. The floo was activated with a sharp gesture, and before Severus could even object a handful of powder was thrown in and he was tossed in after it.

_End of chapter note—yes, I know Alastor rather lost it in this one, but there is a reason._


	11. AU: Meet the Weasleys

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

_I came up with two endings, one alternate universe and one leading back to the canon storyline. I'm going to finish/post the complete alternate first and then the canon. The chapter titles will either start with AU: title or C: title just to make life easier. This is the first of the AU._

Severus kept his eyes on the floor. He could hear Gideon and Fabian arguing in the other room, but at this point he just didn't care. When Alastor had tossed him through the floo he'd expected to end up at the Ministry…coming flying out of the Prewetts' cramped little fireplace—and promptly whacking his head on the armchair sitting in front of it—had been a decided shock. As was the fact that both brothers had been home. They'd stared at him for a long moment, and then Fabian had hauled him up by his robes and dragged him into the kitchen while Gideon stuck his head in the fireplace.

He touched his nose gingerly. At least Fabian had healed it for him…had made an attempt to heal the bruise on his forehead from that bloody armchair, too, while Severus was scrubbing the blood off his face and robes. But then he'd been sent to Gideon's bedroom to wait, and…well, here he sat. He'd thought about going out the window—he could make it down to the street level with only a little bit of effort—but there didn't seem to be much point.

The voices in the outer room rose in pitch suddenly, and he tensed. What were they going to do with him? Surely it didn't take this much discussion to drop him at the Ministry…well, unless they were waiting for something. Or someone. Like Alastor. The door swung open, and he stood quickly.

"Honestly, I don't think either of you have more than half the common sense of a—" A woman with hair just as red as either of the Prewetts turned towards Severus, and her expression altered abruptly from annoyance to a broad smile. "Well, hello."

"Hello," he responded cautiously.

"My name is Molly Weasley. Those two idiots out there are my brothers, Merlin help us all. And you must be Severus."

"Yes, ma'am."

"No need for that, Molly will do fine." She stepped further into the room, glaring back over her shoulder. "Now, since I wouldn't trust either of those two to take care of a houseplant for more than a few hours never mind a child, you're going to be staying with my husband and I for a little while. All right?"

He shrugged. It wasn't like anyone was giving him any other options. And it had to be better than Azkaban.

"Well, good. Do you need time to get your things together?"

"I…no. This is all…." He shrugged helplessly.

"We'll drop his things off," Gideon said from the doorway.

Whatever he and Fabian had said, Molly was obviously still irritated with them. "I suppose you should be able to manage at least _that_ much. Come along, Severus."

He blinked as she took his hand as though he was nothing more than a toddler but followed her to the floo without comment. It had to be better than sitting and waiting for something to happen.

"We're going to the Burrow," Molly told him with a warm smile. "Just toss the powder in and say your destination. Now, I'll go first and show you how it's done."

Severus nodded politely and refrained from mentioning that this wasn't precisely his first time using a floo. She stepped into the flame, and he glanced back at Gideon and Fabian. Both of whom were looking at him with unidentifiable expressions. He swallowed hard and followed Molly.

"Ah, good, I was afraid you'd got lost."

He wondered how precisely one was supposed to get lost in a thirty-second timespan, but she was already dusting him off and tugging him across what was obviously the sitting room and into a small kitchen.

"Now, it's a bit past lunchtime but the boys said that you hadn't eaten so why don't you just have a seat while I fetch the boys back from their grandparents?"

He decided after a moment that the 'boys' who said he'd missed lunch must be Gideon and Fabian while the 'boys' she was fetching were…well other boys, but he didn't have time to respond before she stepped back into the sitting room and then the floo. While she was gone he took the opportunity to examine his surroundings a little more closely. The kitchen was fairly small as he'd first observed, with a little room off to the side that was obviously for laundry. There had been a few other doors off the sitting room, but he wasn't going to go poking about now when Molly was certain to return very shortly.

It wasn't more than five minutes before he heard a roar from the fireplace and turned to look through the kitchen door. Molly was back, one hand holding that of a redheaded boy and the other supporting another redhead against her side.

"—andpa _said_ I could," the one holding her hand whined.

"Perhaps next time," Molly returned. "Now go sit down."

He glowered. "There's a _boy_ in my chair. Make him move."

Severus flushed and started to stand, but Molly waved him back down. "William Arthur Weasley, is that how we address a guest in this house? Now you can just put your nose in that corner until you remember your manners."

"But—"

The hand not holding the younger boy went to her hip. "_Don't_ argue with me young man."

He stuck out his lower lip but obediently went and stood in the corner by the sink, and she shook her head. "Let me just put this one in his room, and I'll be right back."

As the sound of her footsteps faded, boy in the corner shot a murderous glance over his shoulder at Severus. Severus gazed back evenly. He might not be in a state to stand up to an adult right now, but he wasn't about to be intimidated by a toddler either.

"William Weasley!" Molly exclaimed from the doorway. "Unless you'd like to be standing in the corner with a sore bum, you'd best turn around right now!"

Apparently it wasn't an idle threat, because his head shot back around. "Sorry Mummy!"

"You'd better be." She took something out of the preserver and then sank into the chair beside Severus, offering him the wrapped sandwich. "Sorry about that. Someone's got it into his head that he's too big to be taking naps—an attitude his grandfather is encouraging, Merlin help me—and when he doesn't take one he tends to be a right grouch around this time of day."

"It's fine," Severus assured her, wondering whether he should wait to eat until they had something as well, or….

She gave him a half-smile. "Go on, eat. We've already had lunch, but you're far too thin to be skipping meals."

There was silence for a few moments as he unwrapped the sandwich and ate as quickly as politely possible, and then she turned to the boy. "William, if you think you can behave _properly_, you may come greet our guest."

The boy turned and walked over. Whether he was still annoyed with Severus or not, he obviously knew better than to express it in front of his mother. "Hello, my name is Bill Weasley. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Severus gravely took the hand the boy stuck out imperiously at the end of the rote statement. "Hello, my name is Severus Snape, and it's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"I'm four and a half," he announced when Severus released his hand. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Oh." He made a face. "That's old."

"Bill, why don't you go play in your room for a bit?" It sounded like a suggestion, but it obviously wasn't one, and he nodded at his mother and disappeared. "Bill is my oldest, and the younger one who was sleeping when we arrived is Charlie. He'll be three in a few months."

Severus nodded politely.

"Now, we—Arthur and I—have been expanding the house a bit…both boys have rooms on this floor, but we're going to put you up off the second landing. Will that be all right?"

"Yes, ma'am…uh, Molly," he corrected at her frown. "Arthur is…?" He was fairly certain that he'd heard the name before, but he wasn't certain where.

"Oh, my husband. He works at the Ministry; he'll be home in a few hours."

"Um…how long will I be staying here?"

It was her turn to frown. "Until school starts, I would assume. That's what it sounded like when the boys floo-called me, anyway."

And he didn't get _any_ say in this? No one was going to talk to him, no one was going to tell him anything…well, that wasn't exactly unusual, now was it. He set the last of the sandwich down on the table. "I'm a little tired, do you mind if I go lay down?"

"Of course, of course." She flicked her wand and banished the sandwich remains. "Right this way."

The room just off the landing was small, but it had a bed and dresser. "Now, the toilet is just up those stairs, and the master bedroom is just beyond it. I'll bring your things up when the boys drop them off."

"Thank you."

And then she was gone, and he was left in silence once more. So apparently Alastor hadn't gone to the Ministry, or they'd decided that he wasn't worth bothering with. Either way….

He took off his boots and flopped back on the bed. Not that he didn't prefer being here to being in a Ministry cell or Azkaban—or, for that matter, being returned to his grandparents—but was he going to be passed around like a hand-me-down robe until he was of age? First he'd been at Alastor's, and…he swallowed hard. He wasn't going to think about that right now. Fabian might have healed his nose, but if he pushed up his sleeve he knew that there would be a bruise in the shape of hand around his bicep where Alastor had gripped his arm to haul him home. But then he'd been at Gideon and Fabian's, and sure it was cramped, but it hadn't been so bad. And now it was Molly and this Arthur person's place, and still with no one even bothering to ask him what he thought about it. Maybe he _wasn't _of age, but he could bloody well take care of himself just fine. Why had Alastor even bothered looking for him if he was just going to throw him away anyway?

Severus rolled over and wrapped his arms around a pillow. Things had gone wrong so bloody quickly. He'd been an idiot to deal with Riddle, he knew that now, but…. He'd never seen anything like the naked fury in Alastor's eyes when he'd found Severus at the train station earlier. Not from his guardian at least.

Burying his face in the pillow, he forced himself to calm down and think. What was done was done, worrying about it wouldn't change anything. It wasn't that long until school started, and then…well, if his part in the attack on Gideon and Alastor hadn't been revealed things could go on like normal. He'd have to figure out something to do about next summer, but that was a long way off. And if the Ministry had been notified…well, he'd know soon enough. At least he was fairly certain that there weren't any rubbish bins on patrol here if he had to run again.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Sev-us, _play!_"

Severus ducked his head against the tree trunk and bit back a groan at Charlie's cry. Unlike the older boy who was still harboring some distinct animosity for reasons Severus never had been able to figure out, the younger one had latched on to him immediately as some kind of personal toy. And when said toy wouldn't do exactly as he wanted…well, Severus hadn't realized that a small child could have such a large lung capacity before. After a week spent in the company of the Weasleys he knew that Molly would intervene if it became a full-blown temper tantrum, but Severus couldn't help but feel a little guilty when one of the boys ended up in the corner because of something related to him. Besides which, it wasn't entirely certain that _he_ wouldn't end up in the corner as well if she thought he was sulking about…she'd put him there after lunch a few days ago when he complained too much about being sent outside to play. He wasn't five years old, he was perfectly capable of determining for himself if he'd like to go play in the pond or stay inside and read one of Arthur's history books, but she didn't seem to believe that.

"_Sev-us!_" Charlie wailed again.

"I'm right here." He lowered himself out of the tree—one whose branches were high enough that neither of the Weasley boys could ever hope to climb up after him—and made his way to where the boy was playing in the mud.

A handful of mud landed on his robes. "Play."

"Don't do that, your mum won't like it if we get too dirty."

Charlie considered for a moment and then offered a round toy with two hoops inside it that spun when it was shaken.

"Thank you. What are we playing?"

"Severus? Charlie? It's time for lunch!"

"Thank you, Molly." Severus put the ball down with the rest of Charlie's toys—they'd be fine out here for the time being—and offered the boy a hand as he stood.

"Up!"

"Up it is." He swung the boy onto his shoulders and began to make his way back towards the Burrow. She hadn't been calling for Bill so presumably he was already inside, but Severus kept an eye out anyway. The stunt with the eggs yesterday had been annoyingly creative for a four year old, and despite the fact that Molly had cast a cleaning charm on him before swatting Bill and putting him in the corner that robe still smelled like egg to him.

He put Charlie back on his feet as they crossed the threshold. "Uh, Molly, I think this one might need a cleaning charm before we eat." He'd cast one himself, but aside from the underage magic bans his original wand still hadn't been returned and he didn't want anyone knowing about his new one just yet.

"A—Merlin! Charles Septimus Weasley, what were you into?" He didn't answer and she shook her head and swished her wand, banishing the mud. "Both of you, come wash your hands. Bill! Come in here and eat!"

There was a roar at the floo as the four of them were sitting down, and Severus was surprised to see Fabian step through. He probably shouldn't have been—Fabian was one of her brothers, after all—but he hadn't seen either of the Prewett brothers since he'd come here. Even his things had been delivered through the floo while he was outside rather than being brought over.

"Uncle Fabian!" the two boys exclaimed, crowding him for hugs.

"Hello, boys, Molly. Severus."

Severus nodded politely in return and did his best to hide his nervousness.

"Sorry I can't stay long; I just came to return a few more of Severus' things. Didn't realize that they were still at Alastor's." He offered Severus a package wrapped in cloth.

Severus took it automatically, surprised at the weight. He recognized his light cloak obviously—these must be most of the things that he'd taken with him when he'd tried to run; they hadn't been with the things sent over before—but from the feel of it there were several books included as well. "I…thank you."

"Want a present!" Charlie demanded.

"Me too," Bill agreed.

"Hm. Well, I think I might…." Fabian dug around in his pocket and produced two forever-spinning tops painted with bright colors. "I do believe these are for you."

Molly gave him a half-glare. "You'll spoil them."

"I'm their uncle; it's my right. Besides, I was bringing something for Severus and I couldn't just forget my two favorite nephews, now could I?"

Molly couldn't quite hold the glare, nodding towards the kitchen. "Won't you at least stay and have lunch with us? It won't take long."

"I'd love to, but things are busy at work."

"Well, stop by this weekend. And bring Gideon as well."

He gave her a smile but didn't make any promises, stepping back into the floo.

Severus shifted the bundle in his arms. "Molly, I'm going to—"

"You can put them right there and come have lunch."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she was absolutely manic about making certain that everyone ate, and she obviously didn't plan to back down. "Yes, Molly." He liked her well enough, he really did, but he wished that she didn't insist on treating him as though he was only a bit older than Bill. Being told when to eat, when to sleep…even his food was given to him pre-cut for Merlin's sake.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus looked up at the ceiling and groaned. He'd gone up to bed early—mostly to avoid being dragged into yet another family game night with the Weasleys since being tired was one of the very few excuses that Molly would accept—but he'd only slept for about four hours before waking up and now he couldn't go back to sleep. He could try and read, but the woman had an annoying habit of knowing as soon as a light came on, and she'd already taken away one of the books Fabian had brought for him for reading it when he was supposed to be 'playing'. He'd tried pointing out—again—that he was fifteen and had never been one for running about, but she hadn't been impressed with that answer. It had been a good book too…an old defense volume with some interesting counters that he'd like to try. She'd said she'd give it back, but so far she hadn't and he didn't want to push.

With a sigh, he rolled to his feet. Maybe a glass of water or something would help. He made his way slowly down the stairs and into the sitting room, surprised to see light coming from under the kitchen door and the muted mutters of conversation. Molly's voice was easy enough to pick out, but the second voice…. "Alastor?"


	12. AU: Eavesdroppers Never Hear

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

Severus clamped his teeth shut as soon as the word was out of his mouth, but there was nothing to indicate that either of the adults had heard. He moved towards the kitchen slowly, straining his ears to hear what was being said.

"—explained why—"

"'Why' doesn't matter," Alastor interrupted sharply.

Severus cringed. He_ still_ sounded angry.

"You could at least_ try_."

"I am not taking him back with me. End of story."

Severus wanted to run away, but his legs felt as though they were rooted in place. He'd thought that Alastor had been at least a _little_ fond of him…granted he'd been furious the last time they'd been in the same room, but to say it so coldly….

Molly must have started to say something because there was a loud bang and then, "_No!_ I think I've made it pretty damn clear that it is not an option!"

"Well, anyone with eyes can see that he's not fitting in here."

So that was it, then. He was going to be sent away again, and no one was even going to bother saying anything to _him_ until it was time to toss him off to the next victim of his obviously unbearable presence. It was too much, and suddenly he found that he had control of his legs again, twisting and bolting for the stairs. He stumbled against something but pushed past, ignoring the sound of shattering glass behind him as he tore up towards the little room off the second landing. He'd just managed to bury himself under the blankets when he heard footsteps on the stairs and realized that there was no way that his flight could have gone unheard.

"Severus? Severus, are you all right?" The room was suddenly lit, and Molly pulled back the blankets. "Merlin, look at you. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did you cut yourself? Is—"

Her hands were everywhere, fluttering about his face, and he pushed himself into a sitting position and shook his head as though he was trying to rid himself of a swarm of gnats. What did it matter to her, anyway? She was just like everyone else, another person who was going to pass him along like he was some sort of bad gift , and—

"How in the bloody hell is he supposed to answer if you won't let him get a word in edgewise?" Alastor interrupted, suddenly beside the two of them. A callused hand caught Severus chin and tilted his head up. "You all right, lad?"

"Y-yes, sir." What did it matter now, anyway?

"Molly, why don't we let the two of them talk?"

Arthur had appeared behind the two of them…Severus wasn't certain if he'd been in the kitchen as well or had heard the commotion from his bedroom, but now he was helping Molly from the room and shutting the door behind the two of them, and….

"You certain you're all right?" Alastor asked gruffly.

Severus shrugged.

"Let's have a look." Severus tensed as Alastor sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled his wand. "Still now." His wand flicked in a diagnostic pattern, and then he lowered it. "Good lad; not even a bump."

That was about all Severus could take, and he slammed his hands down on the bed. "Just stop it, okay! _Stop it!_ Why would you care, anyway?"

Alastor nearly fell off the bed at his yell. "Watch your tone. And what in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

Severus ignored the warning. "What do you _think_? I heard you! Both of you! I know sodding well that nobody actually _wants_ me, but couldn't someone just _pretend?!_ For a little while? The house arrest is over in just over a week, then you can just forget about me, but is it really—I mean, am I so bloody awful that—"

"That's _enough!_"

Severus yelped and cowered away as Alastor gripped the back of his neck and shook him sharply.

"Easy. Easy." Alastor released him and pushed himself towards the end of the bed, giving him some space. "It's all right. Bloody…I was just trying to stop your shouting. You're safe. I give you my word."

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course being safe matters. That's why you're here." Alastor sighed. "And as for that little outburst—how much of what we were talking about downstairs did you overhear? And no lies."

Severus swallowed hard, looking away. "You don't want me back. And Molly doesn't want me here—I don't _fit_ here." He sneered. "I don't_ fit_ anywhere." And even if it was true, it still bloody_ hurt_. He shook his head fiercely, trying to hold back the tears. "I want to go home."

"I thought your grandparents were—oh."

Severus felt his face go hot. He hadn't mean to say that, especially after Alastor had already said flat out that he didn't want him, but…. He missed his nice little room that he'd been allowed to decorate just how he liked, and his bookshelves—even if the books weren't his—and his bed, and quiet evenings, and…. It was pathetic, really; he'd lived there only a fraction of the time he'd lived in his grandparents manor house and it was still more of a home.

Alastor muttered something under his breath. "Lad…." He shook his head and then settled himself a bit more steadily on the bed. "Eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves. You ever heard that saying?"

The sheen of tears was making it difficult to see, and Severus shrugged and wished that Alastor would look away for a moment so he could wipe his eyes.

"Well, it seems to be true enough in your case. The reason I don't want you back at home—look at me, Severus. The reason I don't want you back is because of _me_, not you."

"Yeah, right." He wanted to bury himself under the blankets and pretend that the rest of the world didn't exist, at least for a little while, but he very much doubted that that would go over well.

"I won't tolerate lying in you, nor do I make a habit of it myself." He shook his head and went silent for a few minutes, long enough that Severus wasn't entirely certain whether or not he was going to continue. And then he turned and cast a spell at the door.

"Alastor?"

"Just a silencing spell. I'm going to try and explain to you why I sent you here, and I don't particularly want Molly to come bursting in halfway through to explain in excruciating detail why my way of going about it is all wrong. Don't doubt it probably _is_, but…." He tucked his wand back inside his robes and flattened his hands against the bedspread. "My da…he had a nasty temper. And a habit of keeping my brothers and I in line with his fists and a few favorite…implements…when we were growing up. Cane, tawse…used to make us keep the bloody things in our bedroom and fetch them when we were due a thrashing. Some of those thrashings were well enough deserved, I'll not deny, but the rest…." He shook his head. "Spent the majority of my childhood dreading when he was due home. And then Alexander—the oldest of my brothers—went and had three children of his own and raised them the same way. And _his_ oldest has a four year old girl and is looking fit to repeat the entire process." Another shake. "I never much wanted kids myself—never even considered it, to tell you the truth—but…well, I guess I got accustomed to you pretty quickly. Rather liked having you around, and you never seemed to need much more than food and a place to sleep so I thought I might be able to manage all right after all."

Severus picked at the bedspread. He wasn't sure what he'd expected to hear from Alastor, but that wasn't it.

"But you _are_ just a lad with all that comes with it," Alastor continued, "including the misbehavior and the fact that whoever's looking after you is going to have to be the one to deal with it. Merlin knows I've got the same temper as the rest of my family; I've always known that, but since it turns out that around a child it obviously manifests in about the same way too…." He shook his head. "Molly and Arthur can take care of you properly; I won't chance having you learn the same lessons at my hand that I did at my father's."

"I can be good," Severus offered quietly. Maybe he hadn't been, but he _could_ be. And it sounded like Alastor hadn't really wanted to get rid of him…that had to count for something. "Then you won't have to get angry or punish me, and it won't matter. I promise."

Alastor flicked his forehead gently. "I don't know much about children in general, but I do know that you're _supposed_ to be allowed to make mistakes without getting beaten bloody for them. And that they'll probably happen even if you don't mean to."

"It's not…I…the whipping wasn't so awful. I could handle it, if…." The idea of Alastor taking a belt to him every time he made a mistake was more frightening than he cared to admit, but if he could meet his grandparents' standards for behavior when he had to, surely he could handle Alastor's.

"Wasn't talking about the whipping; that was well-deserved. Maybe it was harsher than it needed to be—well, I'd say I gave you in total about what I'd have received as a lad so I expect it probably _was_—but lying to me again right after getting your backside thrashed for lying wasn't a particularly intelligent move either."

Severus flushed but couldn't deny that he was right. And if a normal punishment would only be half what he'd ended up getting…that wasn't _so_ awful. Probably.

"What I _was_ talking about was the bloody nose and a damn-near dislocated shoulder you ended up with the next day. And what I'd have done to you if you hadn't been intelligent enough to get away. Here…well, that won't happen. Anyone who knows Molly and Arthur could tell you how well they take care of their children." He frowned, and his voice deepened a bit. "And as for a week until your house arrest is up—what in Merlin's name do you think is going to happen then? You're expecting to get tossed back out on the streets?"

"I don't know." The way he was being passed around, it certainly seemed like it.

"Bloody…. _No._ Look at me, Severus. You _will _have a place to stay and someone to take care of you until school starts again. You _will not_ be living in any damn alley snitching your meals off the food stands. You're fifteen; that's the very least you deserve from whoever you're staying with." He made a sharp gesture with his hand. "Suppose I should have brought it up before, but I didn't realize that you needed telling."

"I…. Okay." He wasn't sure _what_ he was supposed to stay to a statement like that. "But, Alastor…." It was his turn to shake his head as he tried to figure out how to phrase his request. "It's…I'd still rather stay with you, though." Even if it meant having to watch his behavior more carefully. "It's not that I don't like the Weasleys," or, at least, he didn't mind them in small doses, "but they're driving me barking mad."

"What?"

"Molly treats me more like a toddler than a teenager and keeps making me 'run and play'—she even took one of my books away for _reading_ once when she wanted me to go outside instead—and Charlie screams whenever I don't pay attention to him, and Bill hates me for some reason which is more annoying than anything else, and Arthur…well, I haven't talked to him that much, but he's always after me to talk or play or do whatever with them in the evening same as Molly. It's too loud and…_busy_ here. I just want—" He shook his head. "Can I please come home? I'm fifteen; don't I get_any_ say?"

"Lad…."

"What—what exactly made you _that_ furious? Maybe…." He looked away. "Maybe if I don't do it again it will be okay."

"Merlin, lad, I need to get you to a mind-healer if you can forget about a damn beating so quickly."

"You didn't though. Beat me, I mean. You slapped me and twisted my arm, and maybe you would have if…." It was his turn to shake his head. "But you didn't. You sent me to Gideon and Fabian instead."

"Which was about the first thing I'd done right all day." He sighed. "I…why did you run, Severus? Granted the whipping was hard, but I didn't think that I had frightened you so badly that you would just…disappear like that."

"I didn't want to go to Azkaban," Severus answered quietly after a moment. There were still nights when he laid awake wondering when the Aurors would be coming for him. He couldn't believe that someone wasn't going to do _something_ to punish him for what he'd done.

"Azka—why in Merlin's name would you have gone to Azkaban?"

"Because I hurt you and Gideon, and I broke the house arrest sentence. You said not to leave my room until you got back, and I was afraid you'd gone to the Ministry to tell them…."

Alastor caught his chin again and turned his head until they were looking each other in the eye. "You are _not_ going to Azkaban. Not as long as I have any say in the matter, at least. I just went to talk to Fabian and Gideon about what happened—they both agreed that no one at the Ministry needed to know that you'd been the one to brew that potion and we could settle the matter ourselves, by the way—and then we got called into work."

"You could have told me where you were going when you said you were leaving." He wouldn't have run if he'd known that Alastor was just going to see the Prewetts.

"Suppose I should have, but it didn't occur to me. I'm new at this lad…I'm going to make my own mistakes."

That was fair…he still wished Alastor had _said_ something and saved them all a lot of hassle, but…. "You still haven't told me why you were so angry though."

"We got called in to work because there were a series of attacks down on Knockturn Alley. About a dozen people injured in the initial explosions, one shop burned to the ground before we got there—and three more while we were fighting, including that apothecary you said you'd been working at—and to top it off that damn Dark Mark was floating over it all just mocking us. And then I got home and you weren't there…." He shook his head. "I don't think I've ever been so frightened in my life, lad. Knew you'd left of your own free will; aside from the fact that your little lady was gone, the rubbish bins respond differently to a single person than to a group, but I had no way of knowing what had happened after that."

His fists clenched on the blankets as he stared hard at the wall, and Severus winced. He hadn't known there had been an attack…then again he'd been keeping an eye out for certain _people_ he was trying to avoid on his way to and from the wand shop, not listening in on what the crowds were talking about.

"Didn't know if you'd gone to the apothecary and had been in the middle of all that fighting completely unarmed," Alastor continued, drawing his attention back to the story, "or if Riddle had grabbed you—and I've seen what happens to people that don't cooperate with him; believe me he wouldn't hesitate for a second to do the same thing to you that he tried to do to Gideon and me—or if you were wandering muggle London _alone_ in the middle of the damn night, or Merlin knows what else." He snorted and looked back at Severus. "Suppose it's because my job tends to involve the worst things that people can do to each other, but when I'm thinking about a situation I tend to think of the worst possible outcomes first. Had Fabian check through the patients at St. Mungo's—living and dead—while Gideon and I combed the alley. Didn't help that I couldn't exactly call for any backup from the rest of the Auror division since you were still supposed to be on house arrest, but when we couldn't find any sign of you I finally sent the two of them home and went to the bus station. Long shot, but since you said you'd been using it I hoped…."

Severus studied the blanket carefully. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"I know that, lad. But by the time you did show up I was not only exhausted from being awake so long and angry with you for running in the first place, I'd come up with so many horrendous things that could have happened to you that seeing you standing there healthy as could be…well, you know I'd never wish any harm on you, but it was absolutely bloody infuriating."

"I can…understand that," Severus admitted. Especially since Alastor had probably been injured in the fighting as well. His bad leg made it difficult for him to dodge easily, and even minor healing could drain a person and make them…well, irritable, to be polite, if they didn't sleep it off. "But I promise I won't run again if—"

Alastor sighed. "You're a stubborn one, I'll give you that. But it's late, and neither of us are in any shape to be deciding anything just now, I don't think."

"But—"

"Making major decisions while you're tired and tense isn't the best idea, lad. I will come back tomorrow after work and we can sit down and talk about this properly."

"You promise?"

"Aye." Alastor pushed himself to his feet and patted his leg. "You spend some time thinking about things before I come by, all right? You were right when you said you were old enough to have some say—I'm not the only one affected by this, and I expect there are probably some questions _you_ should be asking before you make any decisions."

Severus nodded slightly.

"Good lad. Lie down, now."

He did as he was told, swallowing hard when Alastor pulled the blankets up over his shoulders gently.

"All right. Eyes closed. I will see you tomorrow."


	13. AU: Decisions

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

_For those who asked—Aberdeen is a kind of granite (from a particular city in Scotland, but that part doesn't really matter). Originally there had been a paragraph in the chapter he transfigured her about Severus picking the name because it was the kind of stone the paperweight had been and the pattern of it was still on her fur. The paragraph seemed kind of convoluted and pointless as far as the rest of the story was concerned so I took it out, but that's where the name is from._

Severus glared at the wall. It wasn't _fair_. He'd only wanted a couple minutes to himself, a couple minutes of peace and quiet to think about what he was going to ask Alastor, and absolutely everything had conspired against him. First, as soon as breakfast was over, Bill had been his usual obnoxious self and had made a royal mess out in the garden so Severus had had to spend the whole morning helping Molly clean it up. Between the boys and the gnomes, 'quiet' had not been the word for that task. And then after lunch Charlie had insisted that he play some stupid game with blocks with him, and every time Severus had tried to get up and leave the little brat had started screaming and howling and carrying on until Severus sat back down. After the second time he was more than ready to just ignore the screaming and walk far enough away fast enough that Charlie couldn't follow or find him, but Molly had stuck her head out the door at the commotion and glared him into giving in. Then, after dinner, Molly had insisted that he join the rest of them in the sitting room where things would no doubt be as loud and hectic as usual…maybe Severus_ hadn't_ been exactly as respectful as he could have been, but all he'd wanted was to be allowed to go up to his room and have just a few moments to himself! Was that really so much to ask? And now Alastor was due any minute and the first thing he was going to see—less than a day after Severus had promised that he could be good—was Severus being punished. Granted that standing in the corner wasn't really a major punishment, but still, it just wasn't_ fair_.

Bill squealed at something that was happening behind Severus' back, and he bit back a groan and leaned his forehead against the wall. Even when he was in trouble and being _punished_ he couldn't get a moment's peace to think in this household. The floo roared, and he straightened his back. At least he could show that he could take a punishment properly, even a stupid one.

"Severus," Molly called after greetings were exchanged, and he turned and tried to keep himself from flushing. Or at least to keep the flush from being completely obvious.

Alastor gave him a curious look, but fortunately for Severus' peace of mind didn't ask anything. "Want to go for a walk, lad?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, make sure you have your cloak—"

"Molly, it's ruddy _July_, he's not likely to take pneumonia," Alastor interrupted, but apparently her glare worked on him as well as anyone else because he waved a hand. "Fine, fine, get your cloak."

Severus did as he was told, more out of a desire to avoid an argument than any belief that he'd actually need it, and then headed outside with Alastor. The two of them matched paces in silence for a few moments until they'd reached the edge of the pond.

"Do I want to ask what that was about inside?"

Severus felt his flush return. So much for not being asked. "I've been trying to get some time alone to think about stuff all day…after dinner I sort of asked if they could all leave me alone for two bloody minutes. I guess it was kind of rude." Molly had certainly thought so, at least.

"Suppose that particular wording might have come across that way," Alastor agreed, although a cautious glance at his expression indicated that he was amused rather than annoyed or angry. Of course, it turned serious again almost immediately. "_Do_ you need more time to think about things?"

"No!" Severus was going to go mad if he had to stay in that house much longer, he knew it. "I want to go home. Just…are you going to whip me whenever I mess up?" One of the things he'd wanted time to think about was a better way to phrase that, some way that wouldn't make him sound like a scared five year old, but Alastor's belt had _hurt_ and since he hadn't had that time to himself to come up with better wording…. No matter what Alastor answered it wouldn't change his mind, but he needed to know.

Alastor sighed and rubbed his face with the hand not holding the crutch. "I can't promise I won't ever whip you again, Severus—you pull any more stunts like you've apparently been pulling this summer and I can pretty much guarantee I _will_, in fact. You bloody well ought to be a bit afraid of what that kind of behavior will earn you."

Severus kept his mouth shut and his eyes on the ground, at least until a rough hand closed on the back of his neck. "Hm?"

"That doesn't mean I'd thrash you for running your mouth or breaking a dish or any of that sort of nonsense, lad. Leaving aside from the fact that it's ridiculous to expect _anyone_ to be perfect, I won't have you frightened every time I walk into a room."

"Just for the really bad stuff, then?" That didn't sound so bad.

"Aye. Lying, breaking the law, and disobedience, I'd say. Well, serious disobedience, at least—things that could get you hurt or killed if you if you go against me. Wouldn't take a belt to you for not cleaning your room when you're supposed to or something silly like that. Fair enough?"

The lying might be trouble, Severus admitted to himself, especially since it seemed to be something Alastor _was_ going to be strict about. Lying had become something of a habit while he'd lived with his grandparents and he hadn't exactly tried to break it this summer. But at least it seemed like Alastor was going to let him come home and not expect anything completely impossible out of him so if he didn't have reason to lie…. "Fair enough. What…what about before? Running away?" He was pretty sure that that counted as both breaking the law—he was still officially on house arrest, after all—_and_ serious disobedience, but….

"Aside from the fact that me terrifying you was probably a punishment in its own right, I'm not minded to thrash you for something that was more than half my fault. Should have told you where I was going in the first place and saved us both a lot of bother. Not that running off was the wisest thing _you_ could have done either, mind," he added with a quick glare, "but provided it doesn't happen again I don't think we need to worry about it anymore. All right?"

Severus nodded quickly.

"As for the original offense…."

Severus bit his lip as the hand on his neck squeezed lightly and then was removed. The whipping he'd already received had been for lying—Alastor had made that pretty bloody clear before he'd delivered it—but Severus had been hoping that Alastor would let it count for the whole mess rather than punishing him separately for sneaking out. Even if he probably did deserve it.

"Suppose that's going to be up to you to decide. Can either take a dozen strokes of my belt—and they'll hurt, and hurt plenty, I'm afraid—or come to the Ministry during the day with me until your house arrest is over and a week or two beyond besides and do whatever the Ministry house elves tell you to do. After that…well, you donate whatever Riddle paid you to some charity, and we'll say it's dealt with."

Severus winced. Neither of those options sounded like a lot of fun. "What about what happened to you and Gideon?" That had to be worth something on its own.

"Merlin knows that bastard's tricked older and wiser wizards than you," Alastor said with a half-growl. "What happened to Gideon and I was never your fault, where you went wrong was going there in the first place. Which is the original offense. I probably ought to just thrash you and have it done with, but…." He shook his head. "Let's just say that's what my da would have done, and I'd just as soon not if there's another option. But if you'd rather a whipping that's over quickly rather than a punishment that drags out for weeks...well, I suppose that's fair enough. It's your choice."

Severus considered for a few moments. He definitely _didn't_ want a whipping, but the alternative was to….

"What is it, lad?"

"It's just…." He trailed off, flushing. "For school I'm going to need books and things, and that's all the money I have, and if I pick the second—" which is what he definitely did want to do—"then…."

"That's blood money, and you aren't keeping it either way. Maybe I didn't make that clear." Alastor's voice was decidedly firm, and Severus winced. "Look at me, Severus. You're more than old enough to understand that you don't profit from crime. Leastways you shouldn't, and you _won't _while I've any say in the matter. Understand?"

Severus swallowed and nodded.

"Books and school supplies aren't your responsibility, anyway; no more than are clothes or food or any of those sorts of things," Alastor added after a moment.

That thought, followed to its logical conclusion, indicated that Alastor would take care of all of those…well, obviously he had been buying the food all along, but still, it wasn't like he was Severus' parent or anything. He wasn't even a relative, just…. Severus shook his head slightly. Maybe guardians did do that sort of thing. It wasn't like _he'd _know. Alastor was obviously waiting for a response, and he gave a quick nod. "I guess I pick the Ministry, then."

"Good lad. Wasn't much looking forward to starting your first night home with tears. Now, what we haven't talked about and I think we'd better before you make a final decision about whether you come with me or not—my temper."

Severus dropped his eyes back down to the ground at that.

"Honestly, I still haven't come up with a good solution. I'll try my best to keep it in check—suppose that's an obvious one—and walk away when I am too angry to deal with you properly, but…."

"I won't make you angry, Alastor, honest," Severus cut in.

"I know you won't try, lad, but I expect it'll probably happen despite both our best intentions." He shook his head. "If you tell me—or yell at me—that you think I'm too angry to punish you or you want to go to your room until I've calmed down, I'll try and honor that, but depending how angry I am I'm just not sure I'd hear anything you were saying. I thought about teaching you a couple defensive spells, but I don't much like the idea of being spelled at regardless of the provocation—not to mention that I know just about all the counters—and as for putting a lock on your door…well, I figured you could lock yourself in easily enough until I've got my temper under control but I'm afraid I know the majority of the lock-breaking spells as well. I _will_ key you into the floo so you don't need my permission to travel through it—if you're ever genuinely scared of me, I want you to come right back here or go to the Prewetts. No questions asked, you just do it. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." He was more than slightly glad that Alastor had discarded the idea of teaching him the spells—in his experience casting spells, even defensive ones, at angry people didn't generally improve their moods, and what Alastor was no doubt capable of doing in return didn't bear thinking on—but he might ask for a lock on his door anyway. He nodded slightly, to himself. And it wasn't as though he'd need it, because he _could_ be good, when he needed to be.

"If you've any other ideas, I'd be more than happy to listen to them."

"Not really," Severus admitted. "Yelling something sounds like the best idea, but if I think of something better I'll tell you."

"All right. You come up with any more questions?"

"I…just your belt?"

Alastor was quiet for a moment, and then, "Aye. You're just a skinny little lad, all things considered…should never have tried to take a cane to you no matter what mood I was in."

Severus relaxed slightly.

"You're certain you want to come back with me?"

He nodded rapidly at that. There was no way he was going to get left here with the Weasleys.

"I don't know whether this will work, mind," Alastor said with a sigh, "but if you're certain, I suppose we can try. Molly was right; you'd have to be blind not to see that you're unhappy here, and it is a bit quiet all alone in that house."

Severus hid a quick grin at the admission that Alastor had missed him too.

"We'd best get back and see about your things, then. Somehow I don't think Molly or Arthur will be particularly surprised, but…."

"My stuff is already ready," Severus admitted. "I didn't really unpack too much of it." And what he had, he'd rolled back up in one of his robes during the thirty seconds he'd had to himself after lunch before Charlie had come hunting.

Alastor chuckled. "Fair enough. Come along, then."

Charlie apparently managed to figure out that he was leaving and was starting to howl as Alastor activated the floo—without any idiotic explanations to Severus about what to do or offers to demonstrate—and Severus closed his eyes and waited for his turn. It was _quiet_ at Alastor's.

Well, normally it was quiet—loud squeaks greeted his arrival, and Severus twisted back to see a familiar furry body on the mantle above the fireplace. "Aberdeen!" He dropped his pack and picked her up carefully, relived that she looked all right. The last thing he'd heard of her had been her squeal when Alastor threw his cloak onto the bench, and when she hadn't been delivered with his things to the Weasleys….

"Take that thing and put it wherever you normally keep it," Alastor said, glaring in Severus' general direction although it didn't actually seem to be aimed at him. "Keeps trying to bite me every bloody time I get near. Even when I've got food."

"I guess she just knows me. I thought—" Well, he didn't really want to say what he'd thought. "Why didn't you bring her to me?"

"Was afraid those two little terrors Molly's got would have made the Burrow a bad place to keep a pet. Tucked a note about it into one of those books I sent."

"I didn't get much of a chance to read," Severus admitted. He hadn't known the books had come from Alastor, although it made sense since they'd been tied up in the other things he'd left here.

"Suppose you might not have."

Severus grinned slightly at a shake of the older man's head. Alastor had been the one to rescue the book that Molly had taken from him a few days before—she certainly hadn't handed it to _him_ when they were heading for the floo.

"Well, go on, I'll bring your things."

Severus was relieved to find his room just how he'd left it…well, mostly just like. His bed had been made and the books on his shelves straightened a bit, but it was close enough that it didn't matter. He returned Aberdeen to her shelf and set to work unpacking the things Alastor put down on his bed.

"Have you eaten?" Alastor asked, coming back into the room after a few minutes.

"Yes, sir."

"_Alastor,_" he said with a light rap to the bridge of Severus' nose. "And I'm going to eat now, so if you're still hungry you're welcome to join me."

Like most teenage males, Severus was quite capable of eating his own body weight in food when he felt like it, and he stuffed the rest of his clothes into the empty drawers quickly and followed Alastor down the halls. His cooking might not be as good as Molly's, but Severus had never once heard him utter the words 'Now you just finish those carrots or you'll get no dessert' either.

Severus cleared the bowls after they'd finished and then curled up on the couch with one of the books Alastor had sent him while Alastor dropped down in his chair and picked up a book of his own. This was how you were_ supposed_ to spend your evenings in Severus' opinion, not being forced to play an indeterminable number of games of exploding snap with a sulky five year old.

He was partially through the second chapter when a knuckle rapping on the top of his head lightly startled him. He twisted to look over at Alastor. "Hm?"

"Get your nose out of your book for a few minutes; think we'd best take a look at this."

"What is it?" Alastor had a scrap of parchment in front of him, but Severus couldn't see what was written on it. He put down his book and sat up.

"Molly Weasley's checklist to raising children. She apparently wrote it out yesterday and gave it to me while you were fetching your things. Don't figure looking over it can hurt anything."

Well, it wasn't like he or Alastor really knew what they were doing, and he moved to sit on the arm of Alastor's chair so he could read it too.

"Uh…you don't need a nap time, do you?"

"What?" Severus glared at the first line. 'Set structure for daily activities such as a regular nap time.' Was the woman _insane_? "No!"

"Accio quill."

Severus flinched slightly, but he was pretty sure Alastor didn't notice. And this quill was only for marking out one of the lines on the parchment.

Alastor moved to the next line. "What about story time? Is that what this is?"

"Not by her definition, I don't think," although it suited _Severus_ just fine. "You can probably cross out anything with the word 'time' in it without losing much."

"Fair enough."

And thus went nap time, story time, bed time, snack time, play time, _bath time_ for Merlin's sake!…

"Did standing in a corner actually do you any good?"

"Mostly it was just annoying. You can send me to my room though."

"Where all the books you like are." Alastor chuckled. "Nice try, laddie."

So standing in the corner stayed on the list, although Severus had a hard time imagining Alastor ever actually ordering him into one. And most of the stuff about healthy meals stayed too; fortunately since he was the one who did most of the cooking, he wasn't too worried about getting stuck eating things he hated. Like mushy carrots.

The—large—section with phrases like 'lots of hugs' they skipped over quickly, avoiding looking at each other for several minutes afterwards. Severus wondered if Molly had actually thought anything about _either_ of their personalities or general behaviors when she'd written any of that.

Most of the rest of it wasn't as bad…chores and that sort of thing…and eventually Alastor set the list aside. "Some ideas, I suppose. But I'm for bed, lad, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Should I…." Severus wasn't sure whether he was supposed to start at the Ministry tomorrow, or if there was anything that had to be set up, or….

"You use tomorrow morning and get settled back in, and I'll fetch you at lunchtime, all right?"

"Yes, sir. Alastor."

"Good lad. Sleep well."


	14. AU: Trouble at the Ministry

Go the Distance

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

Severus glared at the spot on the floor. If whoever had spilled whatever it was had just wiped it up when it had happened, there wouldn't be a problem. But no, whoever it was had just left it there, and now he'd just spent an _hour_ scrubbing at it to absolutely no avail. If he had his wand…well, if a _Scourgify_ would have done something then he suspected that the house elves would have cleaned in awhile back, but at least he'd be able to try something besides this stupid sponge. If he'd dared bring his new wand, maybe that could have done something, but since he hadn't...well, what he _wanted_ to do was go back and tell the house elves that they were insane to think that the hall was ever going to be spotless and that they could get someone else to do this stupid job. Unfortunately, he_ didn't_ want Alastor to hear that he had been disobedient or defiant or anything like that so it appeared that he was going to be stuck scrubbing for the foreseeable future. He'd only been working at the Ministry two days—technically only a day and a half, even—and he already hated the sight of a bucket of soap and water.

"You ready to head home, lad?"

"Yes!" Severus exclaimed, probably louder than necessary.

Alastor chuckled. "Take those things back, then; I'll meet you in the Atrium."

Severus nodded in agreement. Apparition was only permitted to and from the Atrium, and in theory only by people who worked there. Which didn't really stop visitors from apparating in if they knew the place, but at least the restrictions kept the traffic from being completely unreasonable.

"How about we grab dinner in Diagon Alley instead of waiting until we get home?" Alastor suggested when Severus joined him.

Severus nodded. Alastor had been…odd…about his cooking these past few days. Nothing specific, but…well, nothing he really wanted to dwell on, either. Eating out was just easier. "Leaky Cauldron?"

"Sounds good to me."

Alastor gripped the back of his neck lightly and apparated them into Diagon just across the street from Ollivander's, and Severus matched his pace easily enough as they headed for the pub. "Suppose you'll be needing school things soon," Alastor said as they passed Flourish and Blott's. "Have you received your list yet?"

Severus shook his head quickly and avoided looking in that direction. He still wasn't entirely comfortable about Alastor paying for his things, but…well, it wasn't like he had another choice. His Galleons hadn't been confiscated _yet_, but it was only a matter of time before Alastor got around to it.

"Well, let me know when you do. Don't doubt for a minute that the Hogwarts owl will find you."

"Yes, sir."

"_Alastor_," he corrected firmly, not for the first time.

"Alastor. Sorry." Severus wasn't even sure why he'd slipped back into the habit…he'd had no trouble using Alastor's name before, but now 'sir' kept slipping out unless he was consciously thinking about it. At least Alastor never really got upset about it, even if he did keep making the correction. The rest of the trip was made in silence, but that wasn't particularly unusual between the two of them.

"There are the Prewetts," Severus pointed out as they entered the pub. It was crowded—it usually was around mealtimes—and he would have gone over and asked to join them at their table if Alastor's hand on his shoulder hadn't halted him. "Hm?"

"I…." Alastor shook his head. "That might not be the best idea right now, lad. Fabian's still a bit annoyed with you about this whole mess. Gideon wouldn't mind, but…well, let's grab that booth under the window. Here." He pressed a few coins into Severus' hand. "I'll save the seats, you go fetch us some stew. It'll be faster if you just get it from the bar. And bring me back a bottle of ale while you're at it."

"Yes, sir," Severus agreed quietly, closing his hands around the coins automatically and turning towards the bar. When Alastor hadn't been angry with him, he'd thought…well, he really _hadn't_ thought about the Prewetts' side of things. But then he'd only seen Fabian once since they'd learned who was behind the potions—when he'd dropped a few of Severus' things off at the Weasleys' place—and Fabian really hadn't said much specifically _to_ Severus, or even looked directly at him, for that matter. Molly had treated him all right, though, and she was Gideon's sister…. Severus rolled his eyes as he thought about it. She'd treated him like a bloody _six_ year old, but not at all like she was angry or—

"—help you?" a woman asked in a peevish tone, and he shook himself and looked up at the barmaid.

"Sorry, ma'am. Could I get two bowls of stew and some bread?"

"Hmph." She turned away, returning a moment later with a tray. "Will that be all?"

"One ale and a butterbeer, please."

They were set on the tray as well, and he paid her quickly and began to wind his way back to where Alastor was waiting. He couldn't help a quick glance towards where the Prewetts were sitting, and he wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that neither of them even saw him.

"Never mind, lad," Alastor said firmly, taking the tray when Severus reached the table and splitting up the dishes between them quickly.

Severus flushed when he realized that Alastor had been watching him. "It's just…." He wasn't even sure what it was. He wanted things to be like before. Before he'd gone and been an idiot.

"The boys are a bit protective of each other. Comes with the job we've got, I think. Give Fabian a bit of time to come around and it will work out, you'll see."

Severus nodded, picking at his bread.

"Eat. You going to bed with a grumbling stomach won't change anything."

* * *

Severus once again found himself scrubbing at a stain on the polished floor of one of the Ministry corridors that had probably been there longer than he'd been alive, and when he knocked his knuckles painfully against the stone for the third time in as many minutes he sat back with a muttered curse. The clock on the wall at the end of the hall was mocking him with its horrendously slow ticking…it wasn't even _lunchtime_ yet. Another week and a half of this was going to kill him through sheer boredom if nothing else. And it might even be _two_ and a half weeks if Alastor decided that he hadn't been punished enough.

Something struck the floor in front of him and exploded in a mass of foul-smelling gas, and Severus shoved himself upright gagging. "What in—"

Muffled laughter caught his attention, and he twisted to see two familiar dark heads disappearing. Disappearing under Potter's bloody invisibility cloak, and he snarled and took off after the sound of footsteps. Granted that he didn't have his wand and they were both bigger than himself—well, heavier, at least—but _no one_ threw Merlin-be-damned Dungbombs at him and got away with it! Besides, it would only be two-on-one; far better odds for him than the four-on-one he had to face at school.

There weren't a great deal of people out and about on this floor; most of them were huddled up in their offices at this time of day so it was fairly easy to follow the sounds to the lift. Which, of course, shut as soon as Severus arrived, but he could wait and watch to see where it stopped. At least Black and Potter were too dumb to think about trying to confuse him—it only stopped once, on floor nine, before returning to the fifth floor at Severus' insistent pushes on the button.

He had to give them credit for a _little_ bit of intelligence—fractional, certainly, but they did manage to cause him plenty of trouble at school—and made sure to walk around the entire lift giving sharp kicks to the air in front of him before he punched the button for floor nine…he might have looked a bit silly, but there would be no one to see him if they weren't here, and if they were it was one sure way find out about it.

When the lift stopped again on the requested floor and he stepped out, determining their destination didn't require any thought—there was only one door, down a long hall opposite the lifts. Something nagged at his memory, but the stench of the Dungbombs that now permeated his robes kept him focused on his objective, and he headed for the far door. "Bloody prat patrol." He shoved open the door and stepped inside, only to be confronted by a ring of more doors. And then there was another bark of laughter, and he spun to find Black and Potter immediately behind him, blocking the doorway he'd just come through. They must have been huddled against the wall under that invisibility cloak. Damn it all. "You—"

"Have fun, Snivelly," Black said, planting his hands on Severus' chest and giving him a powerful shove that sent him to the floor of the round room and then springing back into the hallway as Potter tugged hard on the door.

It slammed shut with a resounding 'bang' as Severus surged to his feet, reaching for the panel that would take him back out to face his tormenters. His fingers had barely brushed it when suddenly the walls of the room, including the doors that were mounted on them, began to spin at a furious pace. He stumbled back, waiting for it to stop—hoping that it _would_ stop—and remembering an annoying little blurb he'd once read in _Hogwarts: A History_ about the designer of the Department of Mysteries being one of the most gifted charms students that had ever passed through the school's doors. He'd apparently been particularly clever about entryways…there had been a lovely sketch of this damn round room right next to the short paragraph.

The walls of the room finally stopped revolving, and Severus took a deep breath and reached for the door in front of him. It had led to the exit just a moment, ago, surely…. His stomach twisted rather violently as the door opened into a misty room with large, luminescent shapes floating overhead. Planets, from the look of them. He slammed the door again quickly. "Okay, there has to be some sort of—"

The walls began to spin a second time, and even as he tried to keep his eyes on the one he'd just looked through—the one to the planet room—it blurred together with all the rest and he was left dizzy and with absolutely no idea which one he might have just opened. Or even which direction the exit had once been in. He took another deep breath, reminded himself firmly that panic wouldn't solve anything, and refrained from opening any more of the doors, instead examining them as closely as he could. To his eye they were all identical; they were made of the same sort of wood, there was nothing on the doorframes or the doors themselves to indicate what was behind them, the walls were smooth….

"Well, there are twelve of them," he said firmly, voice echoing slightly in the silence. "And even if they do spin…well, if I keep opening the same one every time—or at least the one in the same place—eventually it has to lead out of here. Right?" Nothing confirmed his observations, but he nodded to himself. He could do this. And if he was very lucky, he'd get out of here before anyone noticed that he was missing. Or he was caught in one of the most secret and restricted areas of the Ministry. "You'd think they'd have a lock, or a sign, or _something…._"

He set his feet firmly and pushed open the door in front of him a crack. After all, he didn't particularly want to burst in on a gathering of Unspeakables. The door didn't, unfortunately, lead to the hallway to the lifts that he was hoping for, instead showing a room with low lighting and what looked to be a row of other doors along the side. He pushed the door open a bit further and stuck his head in. There were a few desks, and a tank of something in the center of the room with floating shapes in it that Severus had no desire to examine any closer…when he heard voices murmuring at the far end of the room and saw two figures bent over one of the desks he pulled his head out and shut the door again quickly.

Once again the walls began to revolve, and he cursed himself quietly. Surely if he'd explained that he'd accidentally got lost…ended up down here by mistake…they'd have understood. After all, there really _weren't_ any signs. Damn it, he could be getting out of here right now!

"Well, too late now," he muttered to himself as the doors once again came to a halt. He opened the door in front of him slightly and then had to blink furiously to adjust his eyes as they were met with bright light and all manner of greenery. "What in—?" He opened the door the rest of the way and started to step in when his brain caught up with whatever part of him that was already cataloguing ingredients. Fascinating as this was, it _wasn't_ getting him out of here. And there was no one to ask for directions, either. He gave the room one last longing glance and then stepped back out and shut the door firmly. Maybe there was some truth to the rumors that part of the Department of Mysteries was concentrating on inventing new and untraceable poisons.

The next time he pushed open the door it opened on the planet room again, and then the next time it wouldn't open at all no matter how much of his weight he threw against it. Surely they'd lock people out, not get them in here and then seal the entrance…how else would people go home after work, otherwise? Unless…unless they'd somehow detected his presence and were trapping him here until someone could come arrest him. Could the room do something like that without any outside input? He frowned at the door for a few moments longer and then reached out and gave the door to the left a tentative shove. When he swung open easily some of the tightness in his chest was released. At least he wasn't trapped in that stupid circling room. He was about to shut the door—it didn't lead to the exit either, just another room with incredibly poor lighting—when he heard whispers from the inside.

"I'm just here by accident. Surely…surely they'll listen. And Alastor won't be angry—he won't even find out." He squared his shoulders and stepped in, looking for the source of the voices. The door shut behind him but he paid it no attention; after all, _this _room didn't look like it had revolving walls. He began to make his way forward, still trying to make out the form of whoever was whispering, when the ground suddenly disappeared from under his feet and he found himself tumbling down a set of stone steps. He landed on his back at the bottom, the force of the landing knocking all of the wind out of his lungs for a moment. So much for a quiet entrance…_everyone_ in the room would have heard that. He got to his feet slowly, wincing at some of the bruises that that stupid staircase had left behind. "Um…hello?"

There was no response, and he turned to stare upwards. Had whoever it was left, somehow? He shook his head rubbed his arms quickly…he couldn't remember the circular room having been quite this cold.

There was a whisper, just over his shoulder, and he twisted stared up at a stone archway standing on the dais in front of which he'd landed. "Hello?" Was that where the voices were coming from? But…. He circled it quickly. It wasn't a door…it didn't go anywhere. So what was it? Some kind of new communication device, maybe? A fireless floo? But it was so old…almost crumbling, in fact.

There was another whisper, and his breath caught in his throat as the tattered curtain hanging in the archway rippled slightly. He hadn't been able to understand the words, exactly, but that voice…he _knew_ that voice. He'd known it his whole life. "M-Mum?"

Another whisper, and he reached for the lip of the dais and hauled himself onto it. "Mum, is that you?" He knew she was gone—dead—but everyone knew the Department of Mysteries researched the magic inherent in the very fabric of the universe. Maybe…maybe they'd found a way to communicate with the dead. He couldn't have Mum back, he knew that, but if he could just _speak_ to her, even for just a little while…. He reached out to touch the fluttering cloth.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing here?!" A hand grabbed him by his robes and hauled him off the dais, catching him before he could hit the floor. "Are you bloody _mad?!_"

"I—"

The man's grip transferred to Severus' arm, and Severus' teeth clicked together at a vicious shake. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"S-Severus Snape. I got lost."

"Lost, huh?" The man shook him again. "I don't know any Snapes—do your parents work here? Are you visiting or on business?"

"N-no, I'm staying with Alastor Moody, I—"

"Moody, huh? _Him_, I know. Come along."

As if Severus had a choice; the man might be several inches shorter than himself, but he was probably three times as big around and his grip on Severus' arm wasn't loosening in the slightest. Severus' stumbled a few times as he was hauled up the steps and gained a new bruise or two along the way, but that wasn't really his primary concern. His…well, captor, rescuer, whoever this man was, dragged him into the circular room, and if the spinning doors bothered him he gave no sign.

"Show me the exit," the man barked as soon as the doors stopped spinning, and one of them—the one leading down the hallway to the lift—swung open obligingly.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Severus muttered under his breath. And then he was being dragged along again.

"Level two," the man barked as soon as they were in the lift. "And if we're lucky he isn't out on a case or out to lunch."

Severus wasn't entirely certain whether that would be lucky or not. He had no particular desire to remain in whoever this man's company was any longer than he absolutely had to, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Alastor wasn't going to be very pleased with this morning's excursion either—or at least not in the manner in which it was probably going to be presented to him—and….

He winced as he was hauled unceremoniously out of the lift and into Auror Headquarters. There were a few people milling about, mostly with files in their hands, and Severus craned his head. It didn't look like Alastor was in his cubicle, but it was hard to see from this ang—

"Severus? Croaker, is something wrong?"

The man—Croaker, apparently—swiveled to face Alastor, hauling Severus along with him. "This one says he belongs to you?"

"Aye." Alastor removed Severus' arm from Croaker's grip firmly and pulled Severus a bit towards him, much to Severus' relief. "What's wrong?"

"Perhaps you can tell me why he was wandering about the Department of Mysteries. Playing in the Death Chamber, if you can believe it."

"The Death Chamber?"

Severus gulped and dropped his eyes to his boots. Neither the name nor Alastor's frighteningly even tone sounded particularly good.

"Up on the dais with the Veil," Croaker continued. "Just about _touched_ the thing."

"Severus, is that true?" Alastor's voice had gained a dangerous edge.

"I…yes, sir." There wasn't a lot he could say to that; he _had_ been there, even if he hadn't meant to be, and he had been…. Alastor didn't sound like he was in the mood to listen, but he had to at least _try_. "It was—I didn't—I thought I—"

"I assume that you can handle this from here?" Croaker interrupted.

"It won't happen again, I'll see to that," Alastor agreed. There was the sound of receding footsteps, and then, "Look at me, Severus."

"Alastor, I…." Severus trailed off when he caught sight of Alastor's face. It was fairly obvious that he was refraining from a fairly violent outburst only by force of will.

"I don't want to hear it. You get yourself up to the Atrium and floo back home—and you'd best go _directly_ home, because Merlin help me if I have to go chasing you all over London again…."

His voice trailed off, and Severus nodded quickly. "I'll go straight home, I promise."

"You wait for me in the study."


	15. AU: Aftermath

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

_WARNING—corporal punishment of a teenager in this chapter._

Severus leaned against the window sill and stared out at the blue sky. It wasn't like he'd put himself in danger on purpose, he'd just…. He spun around and set his back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and biting his lip hard. He hadn't _meant_ to be bad—if Potter and Black hadn't been complete bastards he'd still be in the corridor scrubbing the floor like he'd been ordered to!

After a few more minutes of staring at his boot tops, Severus turned back around, deliberately avoiding looking at the desk that sat against the side wall, top still clear. He had a unhappy suspicion that he was going to become all-too-closely acquainted with it again in the very near future.

It was hard to say whether time was passing too quickly or too slowly…he tried to read, but when you couldn't remember what the previous sentence had been about it was a little difficult. There was paper and quills, but he didn't have anything to write. If he'd been in his room he'd have been able to play with Aberdeen and that might have calmed him a little, but he just knew that if he went and fetched her that would be the minute Alastor would get home and then he'd be in even _more_ trouble. He hadn't even changed out of his dungbomb-stench imbued robes before coming in here to wait, and the smell wasn't helping the twisting in his stomach either. He sat down gingerly in the chair pushed up against the wall. Maybe it would be better if Alastor just came home and got it over with. Even if he was still angry.

An indeterminable amount of time later—the sun seemed as high in the sky as ever, but Merlin knew summer days were plenty long...it probably wasn't the eternity that it had felt like, but it could have been an hour or two—and Severus finally heard a light knock on the study door. The knob—and his stomach—twisted as he got to his feet. "A-Alastor?"

"Aye." Alastor stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, leaning his crutch against the wall and resting his hip on the edge of the desk. The desk chair slid towards him at a quick wave. "All right, Severus. You want to sit down tell me just what in Merlin's name you thought you were doing wandering about the Department of Mysteries? And the Death Chamber, no less?"

Severus swallowed hard and sat down, keeping his eyes on his hands rather than meeting Alastor's stern gaze. "It was an accident, Alastor, _honestly_—I didn't know what it was! They had an invisibility cloak, and then he shoved me, and I didn't mean to get lost, but the stupid doors kept revolving and I didn't know how to get out, and then I heard—" He cut off his words abruptly as a callused hand lifted his chin.

"Lad, I didn't understand a word of that. Take a deep breath." His voice didn't sound quite so unyielding anymore, at least not to Severus' ears, although the statement ended in a frown. "And what is that smell?"

"A dungbomb," Severus muttered, trying to obey but finding his breath more shaky than deep. "It exploded right in front of me."

"A dung—?" Alastor cut himself off and made a sharp gesture with his wand, dispelling most of the odor. "Well, that's a bit better. Now again, _slowly,_ from the beginning. Whatever you have to say, I promise I'll let you finish."

He didn't promise Severus wouldn't be punished, Severus noted, but then he hadn't really expected that. Getting to explain was enough of a concession. "I was scrubbing at a stain on the corridor floor like the house elf told me to. But then they came up and threw a dungbomb at me, and—"

"Who are 'they'?"

"James Potter and Sirius Black." He nearly spit the names.

"Take it they aren't friends of yours."

"I think the right term is mortal enemies. Stupid Marauders."

"Stupid whats?"

"That's what they call themselves at school—the Marauders. Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew."

Alastor shook his head. "All right. Go on."

"Well, I couldn't just let them get _away_ with that, so I went after them."

"Two of them?"

"Better odds then when all four are together."

Alastor's frown deepened for a moment but he gave a slight nod.

"Potter has an invisibility cloak, but I managed to follow their footsteps to the lifts, and I saw that they got off on level nine. So I followed. I didn't know it was the Department of Mysteries then, really, I mean there aren't any signs or—" He broke off with a shake of his head. "I just wanted to catch them. And I wasn't really thinking about Potter's cloak so I went straight down the hall when I got off the lift and opened the door at the other end. That's when they popped up behind me and shoved me in and shut the door."

"They did _what?_" Alastor growled.

Severus shrugged. "Black knocked me down, and then Potter slammed the door shut—from the outside—and made the walls spin. They probably thought it was funny." The idiots. "Anyway, that's when I realized where I was, and I tried to get right back out—I swear I did—but when the walls stopped moving the door I'd just come in through opened in on a different room. I thought if I just kept opening and closing the door in the same spot eventually it would have to be the exit…." He trailed off with a pleading look.

"If you were looking for the exit, just how did you end up in the Death Chamber?"

"I heard something when I opened the door…I thought it might be an Unspeakable. Someone who could tell me how to get out of there. So I went in. It was so dim that I couldn't see much of anything though, and then I ended up in front of this…platform…with some kind of portal on top."

"Why did you climb up there, Severus?" Alastor's voice was stern again.

Severus looked back down at his hands. Back in the chill of the stone room, under that dim lighting, he could almost have _sworn_ that it had been Mum's voice he'd heard, but…. The idea just seemed so ridiculous now, here in Alastor's brightly lit study. If the Ministry had something that let them communicate the dead, surely someone would have heard about it—that wasn't a secret that would be kept long.

Alastor shifted position on the desk, and Severus knew that if he didn't answer soon anything he said was going to sound like a lie. It seemed like Alastor was actually _listening_ to him, now, maybe even believing what he was saying—Severus didn't want to change his mind or make him angry by telling some crazy story about whispers from a woman who'd died months before and curtains that moved without being touched and…. He shrugged and kept his eyes on his hands. "I just wanted to take a closer look, that's all. I thought it might be a fireless floo." True enough, although not why he'd pulled himself up to it. "And that's when the man—Mr. Croaker?—grabbed me."

"And you're bloody lucky he did." There was a hint of anger in Alastor's voice now. "That damn Veil could have…well, never mind. Suffice to say that we've lost nearly half-a-dozen Unspeakables to it in the years since I started at the Ministry." There was silence for a moment, and then, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Severus bit his lip, shaking his head slightly. The portal hadn't _looked_ dangerous... "No, sir. I just…I really didn't mean to go into the Department of Mysteries or get into trouble, it just…happened. A-are you going to…?"

Alastor sighed. "Aye, I'm afraid you've earned yourself a belting for this little stunt. _Not_ for going into the Department of Mysteries, mind; that's mostly the fault of those boys who were bothering you. Not to mention the fact that there really aren't any signs, though Merlin knows why not." Anger flashed in his eyes for a moment. "I can't _imagine_ what those two were thinking pushing you in like that."

"They probably weren't," Severus muttered, despite his fear of the impending punishment. "Thinking isn't really one of their strong points."

Alastor's frown turned on Severus for a moment. "I'm sure you've already heard plenty of speeches about revenge not being appropriate and that sort of thing, but for the record, as an Auror I agree with them. There would be no reason to punish you if you hadn't followed them in the first place. Although..." His frown faded a bit. "Well, quite honestly, if someone started tossing dungbombs at me I daresay I'd be annoyed enough to go after them too. Since I don't particularly care for hypocrisy, I'll think I'll go ahead and skip giving you the full lecture myself this time, provided it doesn't happen again in the near future."

"Yes, sir," Severus agreed quietly. "But…I guess I shouldn't have gone into the Death Chamber." Even if he hadn't known what it was when he'd done it.

"Looking for help was a good idea, but as soon as you realized that there was no one there you should have left immediately. You're going to be punished for getting up on that dais." He shook his head. "You're more than intelligent enough to figure out that something standing alone, in its own room, in the middle of the bloody Department of _Mysteries_ isn't something that you should be messing about with. Especially when you consider that you had to _climb_ to get to it."

Severus swallowed hard and nodded. He'd never even have considered doing such a thing if he hadn't thought he'd heard Mum. "N-not too hard, _please._" He wouldn't have dared ask his grandparents anything like that, but...

Alastor pushed himself to his feet, leaving the crutch against the wall as he stepped back from the desk and dropped his hands to his belt buckle. "No, lad, just hard enough. Come on, let's get this over with."

Getting to his feet required a great deal of willpower on Severus' part, and his movements were stiff as he pushed the chair out of the way and bent over the edge of the desk.

There was the slick sound of a belt through loops, and then, "Robes up."

Severus reached back and did as he was told. And nearly jumped in surprise when Alastor caught his arm and pulled him up and around slightly. "Wh—?"

"Where did those bruises on your legs come from?" Alastor demanded. "Did those boys do more than knock you down?"

"No, sir." As much as he _would_ like to blame the bruises on those two arseholes. "It happened in the Death Chamber…I didn't see the staircase until I was falling down it."

Alastor muttered something unpleasant and set the belt on the desk before drawing his wand. "Did you hit your head?"

"Just my arms and legs."

"Hm." Alastor's wand flicked in a quick diagnostic pattern, and then he nodded to himself. "Well, they don't look too bad, but remind me to get you some bruise salve later."

Severus nodded quickly, bending back over the desk and trying to focus on the pattern in the wood as Alastor put his wand away and picked the belt back up.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus gave his eyes a quick swipe and then wrapped the arm back around his pillow. Alastor had ended his punishment after only four strokes, but it had still hurt more than enough that Severus hadn't been able to hold back his tears. When it was finally over he'd once again been deposited in his room, and after he'd finished crying had ended up lying on his stomach sniffling and wishing furiously that Black and Potter had been the ones who'd had to face Alastor. They bloody well _deserved_ it for getting him into the whole mess in the first place, and he was willing to bet that they would have ended up getting a lot more than four, too.

There was a light knock at the door, and then, "Severus? Are you awake?"

He turned his face away from the door, debating whether or not to answer. He didn't really _want_ to, but he didn't dare lie right now either. "Yes, sir."

There was a light creak as the door opened, and then Severus felt his mattress shift as Alastor took a seat on the edge of the bed. "You think you might be up to eating some dinner?"

"'m not hungry." His stomach protested those words as soon as they were out of his mouth—he'd missed lunch, after all, and it was starting to get late—but he gritted his teeth and ignored it.

A hand landed lightly on Severus' shoulder, squeezing gently before being withdrawn again. "You sure you couldn't manage a bit of soup? Maybe some crackers?"

Severus considered for a moment. The offer was...tempting, if he was being honest with himself. Going to bed hungry really wasn't very pleasant, and Alastor didn't sound angry or upset with him... "Do we have to eat at the table?" Not that the table actually mattered so much, but he didn't think he was up to dealing with the unpadded wooden chairs just now.

"Suppose we could eat in the sitting room just this once," Alastor answered with a quiet chuckle.

Severus scrubbed his eyes against the pillow one last time and then slid off the other side of the bed. "I guess I could eat a little then."

"Good lad."

Dinner was eaten mostly in silence, the scrape of spoons in bowls the only sound, and Severus was relieved when Alastor didn't comment on his return to the pot for a second helping. He'd been hungrier than he'd realized. And then they settled in for the evening almost as if nothing had happened…Severus decided to lie on his side on the couch to read rather than his back like usual, but there weren't even any comments about it.

"—verus?"

Severus jerked his head up at a quick shake of his shoulder, realizing abruptly that Alastor was now leaning over him rather than sitting in his chair. "Hm?"

Alastor chuckled. "Must be a good book; you didn't even hear me leave the room. Here."

It took Severus a moment to recognize the wand that Alastor was holding out to him, but then he snatched it quickly. "But…?"

"I don't want you using it unless you're in real trouble," Alastor said, "but I don't hold with bullying, and I'm not leaving you defenseless if there are boys running around the Ministry whose idea of a joke is tossing you into the Department of Mysteries. Though if I've any say they won't be running about much longer."

The last was added in a muttered growl, and Severus smirked to himself and nodded quickly as he tucked his wand into its pocket.

"Mind, if I catch you using it _otherwise_ before your punishment is over…."

"I won't, I promise," Severus agreed. He was just glad to have it again. And...well, from what Alastor had just said, he thought he might even be allowed to use it again before school started. After he'd finished at the Ministry, of course, but that was better than nothing.

"All right. And there's your bruise salve."

Severus glanced at the small table and found a round glass jar sitting where one hadn't been before.

"You make sure you put some on before bed—let me know if you need any help." He picked up his book and sat back down in his chair.

"Alastor?" Severus asked, not giving himself a chance to think about it.

"Hm?"

"I…." He flushed, picking at the fabric of the couch. "Thank you. For letting me talk first, I mean, before…. I was afraid…." He glanced up quickly at a light flick to his forehead. On one hand he was rather glad that his clumsy attempt at thanks had been interrupted, but on the other he really wasn't sure what Alastor was going to say. "Hm?"

"You deserve a chance to explain your side of the story, whatever happens. Only fair. Might not be immediately after the incident—my temper is what it is, I'm afraid, and hearing about you trying to get yourself _killed_ doesn't help any—but I promised I'd walk away until I was calm enough to deal with you properly, and I mean to keep that promise." He rapped the bridge of Severus' nose lightly before pulling his hand back into his lap. "All things considered you're mostly a good lad, though if you'd confine your mischief a bit more to normal teenage activities rather than those that involve mortal peril I daresay things would be a bit easier on both of us. And, for the record, stay out of the Department of Mysteries."

Severus felt his face heat up again. "I will. And I really didn't mean to do anything dangerous, I just wanted—"

"I know. And you've taken your punishment so it's over and done with as far as I'm concerned, unless you'd like to talk about it more. Was just thinking that next time you decide to get into trouble you might do something a bit more standard…dye the Minister's hair blue or somesuch. Then I can just shout and you and send you to your room."

"Minister Gorm is bald," Severus pointed out.

"I was giving you an example, not an actual _suggestion_." He shook his head. "Read your book."

Severus grinned and picked up his current volume again. It was interesting—a history book, but a lot different than the endless rounds of Goblin Wars that Binns always went on about.

He headed to bed at the same time Alastor did, using up a fair portion of the bruise salve treating his arms and legs. And a glob on his back where he'd made that final landing. He was half-tempted to put a bit on his bum as well, but…well, it wasn't as though he was actually _bruised_. Just a bit sore.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus gasped, sitting up straight and looking around furiously. He'd heard her. He knew he'd heard her. Maybe just a whisper, but that had been _Mum_, and….

For a moment his mind raced and he was unable to concentrate on any single thought, but then he remembered what had happened earlier and he couldn't help a quiet sob. It hadn't been Mum, it had just been his stupid imagination running away with him. Damn all cold, badly-lit, quasi-frightening stone rooms with stupid portals—Veils—in the center of them. At least he hadn't woken Alastor up.


	16. AU: School Shopping

Go the Distance

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

A woman's voice whispered in the darkness, and he strained to make out the words but they escaped him. It was Mum, Severus could tell, but….

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Where _was_ she? He could hear her—if he could just follow the sound of her voice then maybe he could find her. But it was coming from all around, and….

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

_No!_ This couldn't keep happening to him! He could _hear_ her—he could!

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

She had to be here; there had to be some way to talk to her, to at least understand what she was saying to him. This couldn't be happening for no reason…there just had to be a way.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

He sank to his knees in the darkness. It wasn't fair…it just wasn't. He could almost hear her…_almost_. And the almost was killing him.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus sat up with a gasp, and then rolled over quickly to bury his face in the pillow and stifle his sobs. This was the _sixth_ bloody night that he'd woken up with dreams of whispers and of Mum, and every single time he'd been left gasping for breath with tears streaming down his face. It wasn't…it had been _hard_, after she'd died, but why it was all coming back now, manifesting like this…. Every single night just torturing him—he couldn't _take_ much more.

After a few more sniffles and a swipe at his eyes, he rolled onto his back and tried not to groan as the clock mocked him in the moonlight. He'd only managed to get three or four hours of sleep a night for these past six nights, and that wasn't helping his mental state any either. Especially since he doubted that tonight was going to be any different. He'd toss and turn and his mind would race and no matter how many bloody unicorns he counted he _never_ calmed down enough to go back to sleep. Well, not until the sun started to rise and he only had twenty minutes or so until Alastor would come in to wake him up, anyway, _then_ he would fall asleep. One or two days on that sort of schedule weren't really a major problem, but it wasn't the sort of thing one's body could maintain indefinitely.

He rolled back over and wrapped his arms around his pillow. He'd looked through Alastor's stores of potions—the ones in the kitchen and lavatory, at least—but there had been nothing even vaguely resembling dreamless sleep, and he didn't dare ask for fear of having to explain everything and looking like a complete and utter _child_ for being unable to deal with a simple nightmare. Alastor taking care of him when he'd been sick had been one thing…still somewhat embarrassing, but not nearly as much as being caught with tear tracks on his face for no real reason would be.

He snorted quietly. Not to mention that if he had to explain about the whispers Alastor would probably figure out his real reason for climbing up on that stupid dais, and then he'd have to admit that he'd lied and that was not a situation that he wanted to be—

"—everus?" a voice asked quietly from the other side of the closed door, and Severus forced himself to close his eyes and go limp. Alastor had never woken up during one of his nightmares before…how loud had he _been_? There was a quiet creak as the door opened, and then, "Lad?"

Severus kept his breathing steady as uneven footfalls marked Alastor's path towards him. He'd fooled his housemates once or twice like this when one of them thought he'd be clever and play a trick on Severus...last year Evan's hair had been blue for a week. It wasn't even that difficult; you just had to remember not to react to anything.

"Lad, are you awake?"

No sound, no expression….

"Hmph." Severus had to force his muscles to stay relaxed as Alastor untangled his blankets and pulled them back up around his shoulders, patting his back lightly. "All right then, I suppose there's no reason for both of us to be up."

Until there was the click of the door shutting again Severus didn't dare move, and then it was only to duck his head back down against the pillow. Maybe he'd be able to sleep tonight. Just a little more…a hour or two. He could do that.

Four hours later, and Severus was seriously considering hexing the little sparrow that had started twittering outside his window about twenty minutes ago. The sun was up, now, and he'd heard rustling from Alastor's room that indicated that his guardian was up and about already. He might as well get up…it wasn't like he was going to get any more sleep at this point. Alastor wasn't working today so he didn't have to go to the Ministry, at least…maybe he could take a nap this afternoon. If he wasn't trying to sleep through a whole night, that might be enough to keep the dreams from coming. Just an hour or two, that was all he was asking for.

"Merlin, lad, you look like you haven't slept a wink," Alastor greeted as Severus finally made his way into the kitchen.

"Good morning to you too," Severus more than half-growled in return. He'd thought taking a shower would help wake him up—or at least make him _look_ fully awake—but apparently it hadn't worked so well. Just his luck he'd been stuck with a guardian who was a morning person.

Alastor ignored his tone and handed him a bowl of porridge. "Been looking a bit off the past few days, in fact. Are you feeling all right? I could have sword I heard something from your room last night…."

"I'm fine," Severus denied. Alastor reached out and tilted his chin up, and he fought to keep the exhaustion off his face. "_Really,_ I am."

"All right then, if you're certain." He didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded towards a roll of parchment that sat on the end of the table. "That came for you while you were in the shower."

His Hogwarts letter, probably. He finished off the bowl of porridge—not that he was particularly hungry, but convincing Alastor that he was fine would be considerably harder if he advertised that fact—and then opened it quickly. Only three new books for this year, so—"Bloody _hell_."

"What's wrong?"

"It's…." He flushed. "All of my old school things are still in my trunk at my grandparents house." Unless, of course, they'd been burned in effigy, which was also entirely possible.

"Aye, they would be."

Alastor wasn't going to suggest that they go get his trunk, was he? Surely not. Severus just stared.

"Daresay you've grown a bit this past summer so you'll be needing new robes and things anyway."

"I meant my books." Not to mention his telescope, cauldron….

"Well, it can't be helped." He waved a hand, dismissing the matter. "I'm sure Flourish and Blotts will have whatever you need. I thought we'd go to Diagon Alley this morning and pick up your things and then run a few other errands, unless you have an objection."

"No, sir," Severus said with a quick shake of his head. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Alastor buying him his school things…well, how he _felt_ was awkward, but it wasn't as though there was much he could do about it, so…. At least this way he'd be able to actually finish his summer assignments instead of starting the school year already in trouble like he'd half-expected. He stood and cleaned his bowl. "What other errands do we need to run?"

"Well, I need to put in an order in myself at the bookstore, and then I thought we'd stop and see about getting a new preserver. Merlin knows that one is on its last legs."

Since Severus had occasionally found that leftovers that he'd put in it had gone bad overnight because the charms on the stupid thing had lapsed temporarily, he nodded in agreement.

"Do you know what else you'll need besides books? Have a couple spare trunks so you should be able to use one of those, but…."

"A new cauldron and scales," Severus said with a slight wince. "And a set of crystal philes." He wouldn't mention the telescope; there were always a few spares kept up on the Astronomy tower for the little dunderheads who forgot to bring theirs to class to use. How you could manage to forget your telescope when you were going to _Astronomy_ class on the _Astronomy_ tower Severus never had been able to figure out, but then he had trouble understanding the majority of what his year-mates did. Regardless, he'd just make certain to arrive early enough to get one on the days they were having practical lessons.

"Cauldron shop would have all of that, I'd think. Suppose I ought to go shower and change, and then we'll head to Madame Malkin's first and see about getting you fitted before we do the rest."

There wasn't much he could say to that, so Severus just nodded again.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus glared at the two stacks of books in front of him. Alastor was up at the front of the store; he'd sent Severus off to collect his schoolbooks while he waited for the assistant manager to take his order. After a solid half an hour of searching—not all of the books stayed in the locations they were originally put, after all—Severus had managed to find all of the books required for the school year. As well as a few others.

He sighed. Alastor had given him permission to pick a couple more purely for himself—a freely-made offer since Severus certainly wouldn't have _asked_—and he hadn't been able to resist pulling a few interesting looking ones off the shelves as he'd noticed them. Not Dark Arts books, obviously; Alastor was an Auror, and he wasn't insane. But he did grab an advanced Defense text, a few on advanced potions, a history or two….

He drummed his fingers on his arms lightly. He _thought_ he'd only pulled down a few books, but now that he was paying attention he counted seven in the 'for himself' pile. And eleven in the 'required'. He leafed through the new ones, glaring. _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Five_ was obviously necessary, but someone had apparently talked Slughorn into trying yet _another _potions text. The man was ridiculously weak-spined and the books he chose changed year to year depending who'd last harassed him. This particular volume didn't look any more detailed that last years, and Severus was tempted to swap it for one of the more advanced books he'd found. The potions they did on class would be written out on the board anyway. And he was more than willing to leave History of Magic behind as well; Merlin knew there was always a free copy or two sitting around the common room since no one even wanted to _think_ about Binns' class.

The new Defense book—not really a surprise considering that their Defense professors changed every year and none of them ever seemed to pay any attention to what his predecessors had tried to teach—didn't look like anything special either, although he should probably go ahead and get it since annoying a new professor on the first day of school wasn't really a good idea. Maybe if he put back all but one of the Ancient Runes books, and that stupid Transfiguration text too because Merlin knew he wouldn't be taking that class any more after OWLs and Professor McGonagall was usually annoyed with him _anyway_, then he could slip in one or two—

"Find everything, lad?" Severus started slightly at his guardian's voice, almost immediately behind him, and he turned with a quick nod.

"Was starting to think you'd managed to get lost back here." Alastor raised an eyebrow as he caught sight of the two piles. "Merlin, what are they teaching at Hogwarts these days? You trying for that twelve-OWL insanity?"

Severus flushed and looked at the ground, shaking his head. "No, sir." Nothing in the entire Wizarding world would keep him in Divination for another year, and he had never had any particular interest in taking Care of Magical Creatures or Muggle Studies either. "It's just…like I said, I don't have any of my old books with me, so…." Of course, the fact that he _was_ taking both Ancient Runes and Arithmancy didn't help matters either. At least he'd decided against picking up the _Grade One_ through _Grade Four_ standard spellbooks to use as references; that would have made things even worse.

"True enough." Alastor motioned with his free hand. "Well, pass a few this way, then, and we'll get them up to the counter."

"I'll put these back." Severus tucked the stack of seven under one arm.

Alastor frowned. "If you need them for school, you need them for school. It's no trouble, lad."

"No, these were…other…ones I was looking at."

"How much free time do you normally have?" He shook his head. "You may pick _four_. If you actually manage to read them all, I'll see about sending a few others. Go on, put back the ones you aren't getting and bring the rest to the front; I'll take these up now." He drew his wand and levitated them with a flick.

Severus grinned slightly. "Yes, sir." He kept two on potions, a history, and the Defense book, and then wandered back through the maze of aisles to put the books he'd rejected back in their places.

He'd just put back the last history away on a shelf tucked in a back corner of the store when there was a sharp bark of laughter from behind him.

"Hello, Snivellous, fancy meeting you here."

Severus bit off a curse—more because he didn't feel like acknowledging that Black had startled him than because he didn't want to curse at the idiot—and shifted his remaining books enough to allow himself to slide his wand down into his right hand. When he turned, he found Black blocking his path down the aisle towards the front of the store, with Potter standing slightly behind his partner in crime. With Severus' luck, Pettigrew and Lupin were probably around here somewhere as well, ready to sneak up behind him. Judging by the books in their hands—potions, defense, standard spellbook—they'd probably received their letters this morning the same as he had. "Yes, well, I suppose those with such…limited…intellects wouldn't normally frequent this particular establishment."

"We were supposed to go to the seaside and visit the Lupins this week," Potter said with a scowl. "Thanks to _you,_ we had our trip cancelled, and we have to spend every afternoon weeding Mum's garden until it's all done."

Severus smirked. "How perfectly terrible for you." Considering that their stupidity in locking him in the Department of Mysteries had been what led to him ending up in the Death Chamber and earning a whipping with Alastor's belt—not to mention probably causing his sleepless nights—he still thought they'd managed to get off lightly.

Black took a step forward, and Severus brought his wand up alongside the books he was carrying. He'd fare better if he was somewhere with more room to maneuver, but as it was he was stuck in the cramped aisle between two tall bookshelves where it would be all-too easy enough for Black and Potter to pin him between them. And then, since they both outweighed him, if it came to a muggle-style fight….

There was a flicker of motion from behind Black as Potter started to raise his arm, and Severus' flicked his wand sharply. "_Levicorpus!_" He'd just worked that one out at the end of the last school year, and he was particularly pleased with the results.

Potter squawked in surprise as he found himself hanging upside down, robes falling down to cover head. His arms were flailing, but so long as his robes were in the way Severus was less concerned with him than he was with Black.

"_Tarantallegra!"_ Black snapped.

Severus dropped his books as he jumped backwards, and the spell struck one of them and made it twitch frantically where it landed on the floor.

"_Expelliar—_"

"_Accio_ wands!"

Severus gulped as his wand leapt out of his hand and flew towards his guardian. Black's and Potter's had been taken as well—probably just as well for him—but he had a sneaking suspicion that getting himself into a duel in the middle of the bookstore wasn't going to be particularly appreciated.

"_Finite—_" Alastor began, aiming his wand at Potter.

"_Liberacorpus,_" Severus interrupted quickly, demonstrating the motion with his hand. Not that he particularly cared if Potter landed on his head—it wasn't like there was anything in there to be damaged—but Alastor already looked rather annoyed, so….

"_Liberacorpus,_" Alastor repeated with a flick of his wand identical to Severus' gesture, and Potter found himself upright on his feet a moment later.

"All right, I don't suppose one of you would care to explain just what was going on here?"

"He's the one who—"

"Boys?" A man who bore a striking resemblance to Potter turned down the aisle, interrupting Black's half-blurted statement. "Auror Moody? Is something wrong?"

Well, clearly the younger Potter had inherited his powers of observation from his father, Severus decided, although he had more sense than to voice the thought.

"No," the younger Potter said sullenly. "We were just…playing."

"Spelling at each other is an interesting sort of play," Alastor said with a glare, handing Black and Potter's wands to the elder Potter. "And out of school at that. Wouldn't be surprised if all three of you ended up cited for the use of underage magic."

Severus was far less worried about that than what Alastor's reaction was going to be when they were alone—especially since he _wouldn't_ get away with a lie like Potter had just told—but….

"I've talked to both of you about that before," the elder Potter said, frowning at Black and his son. "And spelling at a classmate?"

"But he—" Black began.

"I think the two of you have managed to get in enough trouble for one week, don't you?" The elder Potter frowned. "I see you have your things, so I think it's time we were going. You have work to do this afternoon, after all. Unless there was something—" he turned towards Alastor.

Alastor waved his hand. "No one looks hurt so it's under the jurisdiction of the Office of Underage Magic rather than my department. Personally, I think heading out sounds like a _very_ good idea." He frowned and then canceled the spell on the still-twitching book at Severus' feet before levitating the pile and tucking Severus' wand into his robes. "_You_ come along."

Severus gulped and trailed behind him obediently towards the front of the store.

Alastor didn't say another word to Severus until the books had been paid for and shrunk for tucking into a pocket. "What else do you need?"

"Alastor, I didn't—"

"We'll talk about that when we get home. What else?"

"A cauldron and brass scales for potions," Severus said, keeping his eyes on the ground. "And a set of phials."

"All right."

The rest of the morning passed in ominous silence—the trip to the cauldron shop, the odds-and-ends shop to order the new preserver, picking up Severus' altered robes from Madame Malkin's…—and it was almost a relief when Alastor finally gripped the back of Severus' neck to apparate them home.

"All right, lad," Alastor said sternly as he emptied his pockets of their purchases and put them onto the table. "What happened? And I don't suggest telling me that you were 'playing' either."


	17. AU: Homework and Help

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Finally got a beta reader so there should be less of my usual mistakes in this one—thank you Her-My-Oh-Knee._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

Severus squirmed a little under Alastor's stern gaze. He still didn't see how things could have gone any differently than they had—well, except possibly him ending up hexed or jinxed or worse if he hadn't taken Potter out of the equation first thing—but he wasn't entirely certain that Alastor would see it that way.

"Floor tiles aren't going to answer for you, Severus."

"It's…I didn't start it Alastor, I swear." He met Alastor's eyes pleadingly. "I'd just finished putting the extra books back when they—Potter and Black—came up behind me and started being prats. I didn't have much of a choice except to turn around and face them, and then I figured Lupin and Pettigrew were probably going to be sneaking up from the other direction so…." He shrugged and returned his gaze to the floor. Lupin probably _hadn't_ been there, not if Black and Potter were supposed to be visiting him at the seaside, but he still wasn't certain about Pettigrew. "When Potter started to draw his wand, I jinxed him."

"You spelled first?"

"Yes, sir." He bit his lip and then looked back up. "But I didn't have a _choice!_ If I'd waited for one of them to spell _me_ first, they'd both have had time. I couldn't dodge two spells in that little aisle, and I definitely didn't have time to block two. Or _more,_ if someone else was about to hit me from behind."

Alastor sighed. "Tactically speaking it was the intelligent thing to do, I'll give you that. And I did give you your wand back in case you got into trouble. But you knew full well that I was in the store—and half-a-dozen other customers besides, not to mention the staff. Why didn't you call for help?"

Severus flushed. He'd tried that once, back in his first year at Hogwarts when Black and Potter had cornered him in an empty hall after he'd laughed at them for blowing up their cauldrons—_both_ of them—in potions class one day. No one had come, and they'd been calling him Snivellus ever since. He scuffed the floor. "I don't know."

"Well, I think you can spend a few hours in your room thinking about that. I'm _not_ upset with you for defending yourself," Alastor said firmly, "but I don't want you going for your wand first thing every time someone bothers you, either. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." He didn't really like it, but getting sent to his room was about a million times better than being told to go to the study, so….

"Go on then."

"Can I take my books?"

"Your schoolbooks," Alastor agreed after a moment. "But I think the others will stay out here for now."

Severus dipped his head in agreement. If he was confined to his room, he might as well get some of that homework done instead of having to waste the next several evenings on it.

He stretched out on his bed with a short stack of parchments and a quill and inkwell beside him and opened the Transfiguration book. Aberdeen squeaked at him from her shelf, but he didn't really want her chewing on his new books. He'd get the worst of his assignments over with first and then play with her…it wasn't like he wouldn't have the time.

With a sigh, he flipped open the Transfiguration book and scanned the table of contents. His actual listing of the assignments was back at his grandparents', but they were all fairly standard—read and summarize a few chapters, generally the chapters that would be covered in the first week or two of school. Based on the things they'd covered in the final weeks of last year, it shouldn't be too hard to locate them.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

There was a light knock on the door as he was finishing his essay, and he looked up cautiously. "Come in."

Alastor entered with a plate of sandwiches and a glass of juice, setting them on the bedside table.

Severus thanked him quickly, sitting up and pulling the plate into his lap. His stomach had started growling halfway through his essay, but he hadn't been certain whether missing lunch was part of his punishment or not so he hadn't dared leave to get anything.

Alastor snorted. "Last thing you need is to be missing meals—you're skinny enough as it is. What are you working on?"

Severus scooted sideways to allow Alastor to sit on the edge of the bed. It was decidedly odd to hear his guardian echoing Molly Weasley, but he appreciated the sentiment since it meant that he didn't have to miss lunch. He made a face as he nodded at the book. "Transfiguration."

"Ah, not your favorite subject. May I?" He took the essay and read through it quickly before putting tucking it back into Severus' book and patting his back lightly. "Well, it looks like you're managing all right. Another hour, and then you can come join me, all right?"

Severus nodded quickly.

"Good lad."

The door clicked shut behind Alastor, and Severus lay down to finish his second sandwich. Might as well do History of Magic next. Transfiguration _and_ History of Magic…it was supposed to be punishment after all.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The whispering was coming from behind him, just off to his left, and he strained his ears as he turned towards the noise. He still couldn't make out exactly what was being said, but she was _here_. She _had_ to be here. He just had to find—something shook him sharply, and he fought back automatically. He had to get away; he had to _find_ her.

"Severus!"

Severus jerked awake, fighting to get away from the arms that were holding him upright. Once again the tears were falling, and his chest was heaving, and he did _not_ want to be seen like that.

"Easy, now."

Alastor ignored his struggles to get free, and the only place Severus had to hide his face was his guardian's chest.

"What's wrong, Severus?" Alastor asked sometime later, when Severus had finally managed to stem his tears.

"N-nothing. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. It was just a stupid nightmare." He tried to pull away.

"Enough of that." Alastor released him slowly but didn't show any signs that he planned to get up and leave. "You aren't a bother, and a 'stupid nightmare' wouldn't have you in tears."

Severus ducked his head and picked up his pillow to hug. His History of Magic book had been knocked on the floor, parchments had scattered about when he'd been thrashing, ink had stained the duvet when the pot had spilled, and he wasn't entirely sure where his quill had ended up. And now he was going to have to tell…. He should just pretend the nightmare was something else, pretend he'd been dreaming about being chased by a pack of Nundu's or something. Except that sounded stupid even in his own _head_; he didn't even want to think about what it would sound like out loud.

"Severus?"

"You'll wh-whip me again."

"For having a bloody _nightmare?_ Why in Merlin's name would I ever do something like that?"

Too late to go back now, and Severus hid his face in the pillow he was holding. "I lied."

A callused palm lifted his chin a moment later. "About what, lad?"

Well, Alastor didn't _sound_ angry, although Severus wasn't willing to risk looking up at his face. "Why I climbed up on the dais back in the Department of Mysteries." He swallowed hard, keeping his eyes locked on Alastor's robes. "It's…I thought I heard my Mum. And now I keep dreaming about it. Every night." He dropped his chin back onto the pillow. Every _single_ night.

Alastor cursed and tilted his head up again, much more roughly this time. "Did it touch you?"

Okay, _now_ he sounded angry, and Severus flinched automatically as Alastor gripped his neck and shook him sharply.

"The _covering_, Severus!" His voice was louder now as well. "On the Veil. Did it touch you? At all?"

"N-no, sir."

"You're _certain?_"

"Yes, sir."

Alastor sighed and relaxed slightly, releasing Severus' neck and rubbing his back lightly. "All right, lad. It's all right. I'm sorry I shouted. You won't be punished, I promise."

"I won't?" Severus glanced up cautiously. Alastor didn't really look angry, but he had just yelled….

"I don't hold with lying, and normally it would earn you a few strokes with my belt," Alastor said firmly. "But seeing as if you'd told me the truth in the first place about why you were up there you would have _saved_ yourself a whipping, I think things about even out."

"I didn't think you'd believe me," Severus admitted quietly. Apparently he really should have told the truth. It figured.

Alastor sighed. "Merlin knows I'm not a perfect man, laddie, but that's the sort of thing you need to trust me about. I promised I'd listen, remember?"

Severus nodded.

"And these dreams you've been having as well—a night or two of them I can understand keeping to yourself, but…what, six nights since that whole mess?"

"Yeah." He picked at the pillowcase fabric. "Can you make them stop?" Right now he'd give just about anything for that.

"As long as you didn't touch the cover, they should run their course soon, I think."

Severus bit his lip. He couldn't take many more days of this—he'd go mad.

"I'll check with one of the Unspeakables to make certain, but a night or two using Dreamless sleep to let you rebuild your defenses should help as well. If nothing else, they'll give you a chance to calm down." His expression grew stern. "And if you _do_ wake up with any more of these nightmares, I expect you to fetch me, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir. I—what is the Veil? _Is_ it Mum that I keep hearing?" He wasn't sure whether he wanted the answer to be yes or no, but the uncertainty was killing him.

"No one really knows. Unspeakables included. They've been studying that damned Veil for a hundred years at least, and all they've been able to determine is that when someone has lost a person close to him, he can sometimes hear whispers that _sound_ like that person through the Veil. The more recent the loss, the more profound the effect—especially with close proximity—and the longer the nightmares tend to last." He shook his head. "In my time at the Ministry we've lost two Unspeakables who fell—or possibly were pulled—into the Veil when they got too close, and three more who touched the cover and ended up going insane."

Severus gulped. No wonder Alastor had been upset. "I didn't touch it, Alastor. I promise."

"I believe you." He patted Severus' arm lightly and then drew his wand a flicked it at the ink stain, banishing it easily. "Why don't you collect your things and come and sit with me for awhile?"

According to the clock it hadn't been a full hour yet, but Severus wasn't really interested in staying alone in his room right now so if Alastor was willing to excuse him from the rest of his punishment he was more than willing to accept the reprieve. He shoved the parchments back into a rough pile and grabbed his History of Magic and Arithmancy books, snatching another quill off his bookshelf as he went.

There was a stack of parchments next to Alastor's chair in the sitting room, and he sat down and propped his bad leg up on the footstool while Severus curled up on the couch. "If you can bear to put off your homework for another few minutes, I'd like to know what spell that was that you used on that Potter boy," Alastor said as Severus started to open his book. "I don't think I've heard that counter-jinx before."

Severus shrugged. "It's not…it's new. I made it up."

"You made up your own counter-jinx?"

"And the original jinx," he admitted. "I got it figured out at the end of last year."

Alastor chuckled and shook his head, reaching out to squeeze the back of Severus' neck lightly. "Coming up with your own jinxes as a bloody fourth year. Those four _really_ ought to just let you be. All right, then." He produced Severus' wand from a pocket of his robes and held it out. "Let's see it. Jinx and counter."

The pride in his voice made Severus squirm a little; it wasn't precisely something he was accustomed to. "You want me to use them on _you_?"

"Wouldn't recommend it," Alastor said with a flick to Severus' forehead. "Use one of your books."

"Umm…." He opened the History of Magic book slightly, allowing it to stand upright on the floor in front of the couch, and then swished his wand. "_Levicorpus._" It flew upwards to hang upside down. "_Liberacorpus._" And back down onto the floor right side up. Of course, it promptly fell over, but the point had been made.

"Clever lad." Alastor shook his head.

Alastor leaned over to pick up the stack of parchments beside him, and Severus' eyes widened. "I'm allowed to keep it?" He nodded at his wand.

"I suppose I can't think of too many lads who made it through seven years at Hogwarts without getting into a squabble with at least one of his schoolmates at one point or another. Prefer you didn't go for your wand first thing—especially out of school and not supposed to be using magic _at all_—but…." He shook his head. "Well, your punishment's over, and provided it doesn't happen too often we won't worry about it anymore."

Severus nodded, tucking his wand back into his robes and picking his book up.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

This time when Severus woke up shaking and crying, he wasn't certain whether he wanted to keep crying or just start screaming. Last night Alastor had given him Dreamless Sleep, and a full night of rest…it had made him feel so much better that he _almost_ hadn't minded being set to scrubbing floors again by the house-elves. Alastor had asked him to try without it tonight, just to see if the trouble had passed. Apparently it hadn't.

Severus rolled onto his back. Alastor had told him to fetch him if he woke up, but it was only three in the morning…maybe if he waited a couple hours and _then_ went to get Alastor at least one of them would be able to get a reasonable amount of sleep. Last night had done wonders for him; he'd be all right tomorrow with only four hours or so. He snorted quietly. Except that Alastor would probably figure out that Severus had been awake for awhile before fetching him, and Severus didn't doubt that he'd be irritated. Maybe not really _angry_, but definitely irritated.

He slid out from under the blankets and glared at the clock. If the nightmare had just held off for two more hours, then he wouldn't feel so guilty. Unfortunately, he just didn't get that lucky.

His courage nearly failed him as he reached the end of the hall. Alastor had said to wake him, but maybe he hadn't really thought that Severus would have one of the dreams. And no one liked to be woken up in the middle of the night. Severus looked back at his room. Maybe he should just go back to bed and quit acting like such a stupid _child._

The door swung open abruptly, and he jumped back.

"Severus?" Alastor lowered his wand and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. "Another nightmare, lad?"

"Y-yes, sir. How did you…?" He waved at the door. He was fairly certain that he hadn't made any noise—well, aside from whatever had happened during the nightmare—but….

"Wards on the door. They tell me when someone's lurking about." He tucked his wand into the sleeve of his pajamas. "Though you might have tried knocking; it's a bit faster."

Severus flushed, grateful that it couldn't be seen in the dim light of the hall.

"Same dream as the rest?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right, then." He caught the back of Severus neck lightly and drew him into the room.

"I'm sor—"

"None of that, now. I told you to fetch me if you woke up." He rummaged around on one of his shelves and pulled down a small vial. "Here we are. Have a sip."

Severus took the bottle that he was passed and, forcing himself to ignore the taste, took a cautious swallow. Too much Dreamless Sleep and he could be dead to the world for days.

"All right, then, let's get you back to bed."

As Alastor matched his pace down the hallway, Severus wanted to protest that he was perfectly capable of finding his own room. Except that Alastor was already awake, and he _had_ been able to shake off the aftereffects of the last nightmare faster when Alastor had been with him in the sitting room, and….

Alastor waited until he'd slipped back into bed before tugging the blankets back up and patting his shoulder. "Good lad. Remind me to take you down to see Morriston tomorrow. He _said_ the dreams shouldn't last much longer than a week, but…well, he also said one night of Dreamless Sleep should be enough. I'd just as soon he checked you out himself this time."

Severus nodded and murmured what he thought was agreement. Whoever Alastor got his Dreamless Sleep from, it was definitely a more potent version that the mediwitch in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts ever offered him.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus cautiously watched the man flicking his wand about and kept in mind that Alastor was right behind him and he wasn't actually in any danger. Even if this particular Unspeakable looked like he'd spent just a _bit_ too much time watching the doors spin.

"You'll live," the man finally said with a grunt, tucking his wand back into his robes. "Can still see some traces of the Veil's magic—pretty impressive after eight days—but they're fading. Try another two nights with Dreamless Sleep and then see what happens."

"Thank you," Alastor said with a nod to the man, and Severus chimed in with his thanks as well. Granted that between the Dreamless Sleep and Alastor's presence he'd actually managed to go back to sleep last night, but having to face Alastor this morning had been embarrassing. Even if Alastor _hadn't_ said anything. Another two nights of Dreamless Sleep before trying again sounded like a good idea to him.

The Unspeakable waved off their thanks and turned back down the hall towards the Department of Mysteries.

"Well, not quite what I was hoping for, but I suppose it will do." Alastor looked down at Severus as they turned towards the lift. "You up to working here today, or do you want to go home?"

"I can do it."

"Good lad. You work the rest of this week and we'll say you're done, all right?"

Severus grinned. "Yes, sir." He punched the lift button for floor four where the little room that served as the house-elf headquarters of the Ministry was located and then floor two for Alastor. Only a few more days and then he would be done…it would be _wonderful_ not to be scrubbing his fingers raw every day. Not that he didn't think this was a much better deal than the alternative had been, but it had still been a pretty severe punishment in his estimation. The lift came to a halt, and he stepped off. "Should I come find you at lunch?"

"Suspect I'll be out most of the day." Alastor dug around in a pocket, fishing out a few coins and passing them over. "But make sure you remember to eat. I'll fetch you when it's time to go home."

Severus nodded in agreement and headed off down the hall as the doors shut behind him.

"Ah, Severus, I wanted to talk to you," a voice said evenly, and Severus twisted to find a familiar redhead coming out of the main office of the Pest Advisory Board

"Fabian?"


	18. AU: Offers Made

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

Fabian approached slowly. "Hello. How have you been?"

Not exactly a _warm_ greeting…Severus shrugged and dropped his eyes to the ground. He hadn't had much to do with the Prewetts since the whole mess with Riddle, and Alastor had said flat out that Fabian was upset with him. So, of course, now they were alone in a corridor together. He should have just gone home.

"Alastor said you've been having a rough time lately," Fabian continued.

Severus shrugged a second time, unsure of what he was supposed to say.

"Doing better now?"

"Yes, sir."

There was a groan. "I'm a lot of things, but 'sir'? _Never._ Let people talk about you like that and the next thing you know your hair's gone gray and you start spending all your time sitting in the cafes in Diagon Alley talking about the good old days." He paused for a moment. "Could you at least look at me?"

Severus obeyed automatically, although he wasn't quite willing to meet Fabian's gaze. "I'm not…I never meant…." He trailed off, unsure of quite what to say. He'd never meant for Alastor or Gideon to get hurt, but they had, and it was reasonable enough for Fabian to be angry with him. He didn't really have the right to expect anything different, much as he'd like to. "I'm _sorry_."

There was a sigh. "Look, my brother has informed me in no uncertain terms that I've been being an arse lately, and that guardian of yours has been more than a bit annoyed as well. So while I'm still not pleased with what you did, I suppose if the two people who got hurt think you've been punished enough…."

Severus met his eyes cautiously.

"Friends again?"

"Friends." Severus agreed quickly, shaking the proffered hand. He was more than a little surprised at the amount of relief that he felt, but he'd…missed…the Prewetts. They were a little crazy—okay, a _lot_ crazy—but they'd always been kind to him.

"Good. Now, Alastor also said you've a knack for creating spells."

"I've come up with one or two, I guess."

"Don't suppose you'd be willing to demonstrate for me, would you? Creating spells is something of a hobby of mine—has been since I was about your age—and Alastor thinks I might be in a better position to evaluate yours than he is."

"I'm supposed to be cleaning now, but I guess I could." _He_ certainly wouldn't mind keeping skin on his knuckles for a little longer.

"I think the house-elves will be willing to loan you to me for a few minutes." Fabian motioned to Severus to follow. "I believe you have one that hangs people up upside down, correct?"

Severus nodded.

He opened the door to the first empty office they reached—the Centaur Liaison Office, it appeared, so perhaps it wasn't a surprise that the official employees didn't bother to spend much time here—and waved Severus in. "Well, let's see it."

"You want me to spell _you_?" That didn't seem overly likely considering that Fabian had been angry at him until about two minutes ago.

"You have a counter, don't you? Unlike a certain gentleman we both happen to know, I don't subscribe to _Paranoids' Weekly_, and it's easier to judge a spell if I can see it at full strength. Provided you can control it, of course."

Severus nodded and drew his wand. "_Levicorpus._"

Fabian let out a squawk similar to Potter's as he found himself hanging upside down and then muttered something that made his robes float upwards, back into place. "Fascinating. How long does it last?"

"I don't know. I've never tried to hold a person longer than a few minutes." He was _pretty_ certain that it would hold for quite awhile, but he didn't really want to find out differently by dropping Fabian on his head. With his luck the Auror would end up in St. Mungo's with a concussion and then Gideon would be furious with him.

"And you worked this out last year?" Fabian asked, still hanging upside down and apparently completely unconcerned about it.

"Earlier this year when I was in school. Towards the end of April or so, I think." He shrugged. "It was easier to get the counter right."

"Show me the counter."

That suited Severus perfectly well. "_Liberacorpus._" He waited until Fabian was upright. "How did you do that thing with your robes?"

"_Habitum Perficio._" Fabian demonstrated the wand motion quickly. "Works wonders for parades and such where everyone expects your robes to be perfectly in place no matter what the weather or your actual duties are." He snorted. "Know one Auror who foiled an assassination plot at a public event and then was promptly reprimanded by the speaker for having his robe mussed. Course 'a bloodstain would have clashed with my badge' probably wasn't an appropriate response on his part either, but…." He waved a hand, dismissing the matter. A flick of his wand cancelled the spell and then his robes hung loose again. "That's an interesting spell you came up with—I do have other work to do today, but do you think you might be willing to demonstrate it for a few more people sometime?"

"I…of course." Severus wasn't sure who'd want to see it—it wasn't really anything special, just a trick to use against his more irritating classmates—but he'd demonstrate if Fabian wanted. His primary targets had already seen it anyway so there wasn't much point in trying to keep it hidden anymore.

"Good. Back to work with you, then, and I'll speak to you a little more later. And tell Alastor that I talked to you and played nice so he can stop bloody _glaring_ at me every time he sees me."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"You ready to head home, lad?"

"Yes!" He dropped his sponge into the bucket of water and lifted it quickly. This was the last time that he'd have to carry it back to the house-elves' office—his punishment was officially over. _Finally._

Some of his relief must have shown on his face—or in his voice—because Alastor chuckled. "Well, go on with you then. I'll wait here."

Alastor took the shower first when they got home, leaving Severus to handle dinner. He didn't mind—it was better now that Alastor wasn't being quite so odd about his cooking. Besides, when he cooked Alastor always took care of the dishes, and he definitely didn't mind being spared more scrubbing.

When he finished his shower, he was surprised to find the sitting room empty. The dishes were done, but there was no sign of Alastor and no note that indicated he'd had to go back to work or anything like that. Alastor didn't usually go to his room so early, not unless he was working on a hard case, and Severus was pretty certain that work was going fairly smoothly right now. He'd been hoping that they could play chess or maybe cards, but…. Severus shook his head sharply. He had plenty of books to read; there was no reason to bother Alastor if he was tired.

The creak of a door caught his attention some time later, and he glanced up to find Alastor standing in the doorway of the study shaking his head. "That had best not be one of your new books."

Severus didn't even have to answer—his flush gave him away.

"And just what are you planning to take with you to school?"

"I'll read it again," he protested. He would, too—some of these potions looked interesting.

"Come along."

He turned back into the study, and Severus stared after him. He hadn't done anything bad—he'd read a book! Surely Alastor wouldn't punish him just because….

Alastor glanced over his shoulder. "Severus?"

"I…but…."

"What's wrong?" Alastor frowned for a moment and then his face cleared and he chuckled. "It's all right, lad, you aren't in any trouble. Unless there's something you'd like to confess?"

Severus flushed at his raised eyebrow and then shook his head and stood belatedly. "No, sir."

Alastor's hand closed on the back of Severus' neck lightly as Severus reached the doorway. "There are other reasons to use a study, you know."

Well, _obviously,_ but considering that his experiences in here of late had mostly involved the application of Alastor's belt to his bum, Severus figured that he had a right to be nervous. "What is it, then?"

"_Accio_ chair," Alastor said with a wave of his wand, and one of the chairs from the kitchen table scooted into the room obligingly and came to a rest beside the desk. He released Severus and took the desk chair, motioning for Severus to have a seat as well. "Have some stuff here I'd like you to take a look at. You don't have to decide now—in fact I'd rather you gave yourself some time to think about it—and it _is_ your decision, but now seems like as good a time as any to get things sorted out. It's not so long until you go back to school, after all."

Severus had been trying hard not to think about that; he much preferred the quiet of Alastor's home to the dormitories and classrooms at Hogwarts. Still, he leaned forward to examine the papers that were scattered across the desk. The language was ridiculously archaic—to be expected of any sort of formal papers that came from the Ministry, he supposed—but they looked like…. "Alastor? What—I—?"

"They're guardianship papers," Alastor answered his half-asked question, eyes fixed determinedly on the pieces of parchment. "Proper ones, not just me signing something to tell the courts I'd keep an eye on you until your house arrest was up."

That had technically happened a week ago, although since he'd been working at the Ministry during the day Severus hadn't exactly had the opportunity to enjoy his freedom. But…. "You mean I can stay with you for good?" Alastor had said that he'd have someone to look after him for this summer, but after that Severus hadn't been sure what would happen. He'd go back to Hogwarts, obviously, but then next summer…. Well, he hadn't really wanted to think about _that_, either.

Alastor shifted slightly. "Aye, if you'd like. I don't…." He trailed off with a shake of his head. "I wasn't sure if you had plans of your own for after this summer, but if not I don't see any good reason why you couldn't stay here."

Severus stared, not quite sure what to say. "You'd adopt me?"

"Would," Alastor agreed gruffly. "Though I can't, at least not without your grandparents' agreement. But the guardianship would be binding until you're seventeen, and however long after you'd like, as far as I'm concerned."

"How? We don't need their permission for this?" Severus frowned as he tried to make out the full meaning of the document through the idiotic terms the Ministry insisted on using. It _sounded_ pretty much the same as adoption…couldn't they just write these things out like normal people?

"Wizarding Family Services is…well, a twisted mess of nonsense for the most part, far as I can tell. One of the witches in their office was able to talk me through some of it, though. I can't offer to adopt you without the permission of your blood relatives because of inheritance issues and some sort of insanity about bloodlines. If you had no living relatives it would be a different story, but since I doubt either of them will do us the courtesy of dying…." He waved a hand. "However, seeing as you ran away nearly three months ago and they haven't so much as asked about you as far as I've been able to determine, I _can_ be granted guardianship on the basis of extreme neglect. We'd both have to sign some forms—you're more than old enough for your opinion to be taken into consideration—and then there might be an interview or some sort of home inspection. Even she wasn't sure about that part; there's apparently a review committee that decides that sort of thing. Then, provided that there are no major issues, the papers will be stamped and stored in the Hall of Records until you're of age."

And that was all there was to it? Not that Severus _wanted_ to go back to his grandparents, but….

"It's not your only option, lad," Alastor pointed out quietly. "You _could_ go back to the Prince estate or to your da if we can find him…or even to the Weasleys' place, if you'd prefer that. Molly and Arthur would take you in a second."

Severus tried not to wince. The idea of spending the next two years of his life in that household...he' d be mad well before he came of age.

"Or you're welcome to stay here _without_ signing the papers," Alastor continued, "though it means that if your grandparents wanted to pull you out of Hogwarts and drag you off Merlin-knows-where, none of us would have any right to stop them." He snorted. "I suppose you could even go back to living in an abandoned attic in Knockturn Alley if you really wanted to, although I would much prefer that you didn't."

Severus shook his head. Living with Alastor—it was by far the best of any of the options Alastor had suggested. And he _definitely_ didn't want his grandparents to be able to take him away anywhere, although…. His stomach twisted viciously, and he shook himself, pushing the thought to the back of his mind. "I want to stay with you. And sign, I mean. Unless you don't w—" He _thought_ Alastor did, but there was always the possibility that he was making the offer out of some sense of obligation or….

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to," Alastor interrupted firmly. "_Accio_ quill."

It flew into his hand, and he dug a pot of ink out of the top drawer of the desk and signed quickly.

Severus swallowed hard as he reached for the quill. This was all it took, then. And then he'd be…well, not quite Alastor's, but at least not his grandparents' favorite target, either. Except…. He frowned when Alastor didn't relinquish the quill. "What is it?"

"I want you to think about it for a little bit, all right? I've been thinking about this for a few weeks now; you just heard the idea five minutes ago."

Severus shrugged and then stood, still trying to sort through his jumbled thoughts. "Okay, I guess. I need to…go."

"Lad?"

He didn't go any further than his room, curling up around his pillow.

"Severus?" The bed dipped down as Alastor took a seat behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going to change my mind, laddie, but I want you to have time to think about things. I don't want you making a quick decision and then regretting it next week. If you're still sure you want to sign tomorrow afternoon, I'll take it back to the Ministry first thing the next morning and get everything set up. And you _don't_ have to. I won't be angry with you."

Severus shrugged. He'd think about it more if Alastor wanted him to, but he couldn't imagine changing his mind. "It's just…they didn't even try to find me?" Not that he wanted them to find him—quite honestly that was the _last_ thing that he wanted—but…they were supposed to be his family. They could have at least _looked._

Alastor patted his shoulder lightly. "I'm sorry, Severus. I should never have said that."

"It's not like I wouldn't have figured it out for myself."

"No, I suppose that's true enough. Intelligence has its drawbacks." He sighed. "Why don't you come and sit with me for a little bit? You haven't quite finished that book, I don't think."

"All right," Severus agreed after a moment, making no effort to uncurl.

Alastor sighed again and gave Severus one last pat before he stood. "You come join me whenever you're ready."

Severus rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. Lying here wasn't going to help him figure anything out. Might as well go sit with Alastor. He stared upwards for a few more moments and then slid off the bed and headed for the door, stroking Aberdeen's back lightly as he passed.

"Let me see your wand, lad," Alastor ordered as Severus came into the sitting room.

Severus frowned but offered it obediently before sinking down on the couch. Alastor drew his own wand, flicking it quickly over Severus'. "What are you…?"

"Generally a good thing to ask _before_ you hand you wand to someone," Alastor said with a quick smile as he handed it back. "But I just put your signature into the house wards. Whatever you choose to do after this summer, your house arrest—and your punishment—are over, so you've the right to come and go as you please. Well, within reason," he corrected himself after a moment.

Severus nodded and tucked his wand back into his robes. Obviously there were going to be _some_ conditions.

"I expect you to leave a note if you're going out—not minded to get home and find the house empty and no idea where you've disappeared to—and to be home at a reasonable hour. And I'd rather you stayed away from Diagon Alley without me for the near future." His voice turned stern for a moment. "I had best _no_t find out that you've been anywhere near Knockturn, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Severus agreed quickly.

"Good lad. The town center isn't far from here; there's a bit of muggle money in the jar on the kitchen counter if you'd like to take yourself to lunch on occasion. Wouldn't do you any harm to get out and stretch your legs a little bit, although I'm not sure if there's anyone in the neighborhood your age or not."

Severus nodded again, although he didn't particularly care whether there were any other teenagers around. He also refrained from mentioning that he'd become fairly good at forging Muggle money by transfiguration over the summer. He wasn't sure whether he'd mentioned that part to Alastor when he'd confessed the rest of his crimes, but if he hadn't he'd just as soon keep it to himself.

Alastor indicated the chessboard. "We've a bit of time before I need to get to sleep. Do you want to play a game?"

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus put down the chessman and headed for the front door. Alastor had already been gone when he'd woken up this morning, and after reading all the way through the guardianship papers after breakfast—or, rather, decoding the bloody things, since whoever wrote them couldn't seem to restrict himself to two words when he could use ten—he hadn't been able to concentrate well enough to do much of anything. For once his books couldn't hold his interest; the one attempt he'd made at homework had been absolutely hopeless; he'd broken three plates trying to get himself lunch not to mention almost knocking Aberdeen off the bed by accident when he'd been playing with her…. He'd spent the last twenty minutes getting the chessmen to beat each other senseless, but it wasn't really as amusing as it had been back when he was eleven.

With a flick of his wand Severus transfigured his robes into Muggle-style clothing and stepped outside. He couldn't help but keep a wary eye on the rubbish bins, but they ignored him as he made his way down the front path. Maybe if he could just walk off some of this nervous energy he'd be able to think straight again.

He turned onto the street, kicking a rock ahead of him. It was stupid, really. Staying with Alastor was the only real option he had. He'd go insane at the Weasleys'; that was a given. Assuming that Severus could even _find_ his father, it wouldn't change the fact that the man hated magic and had never been particularly fond of him either. He had absolutely no interest in going back to live in that stupid alley. And his loving grandparents would kill him—quite possibly literally—if he went back to the Prince estate.

It wasn't even as though Alastor's was the best of a set of bad choices…he _liked _it here. He had his own room, plenty of food—something he'd come to appreciate more than he'd ever thought he would after his time spent in the alley—enough books to satisfy even him, Aberdeen, no stupid insistence that he 'run and play' when he wanted to sit quietly ….

And Alastor was a good guardian, all things considered. It was…nice…when patted Severus' shoulder and praised his cleverness. Not to mention that Alastor was usually willing to help him with his school exercises when he asked and play chess with him at night, too. Sure, he was little strict sometimes, maybe, and the whippings he dealt were nothing to laugh about—and Severus didn't doubt that he'd be on the receiving end of at least a few more before he was of age; he wasn't any kind of saint, after all—but they weren't _too_ terribly horrible. He'd had worse. Besides, he'd take a whipping over the curses his grandparents had used any day. Severus sighed and turned down the next street he came across. So what was he worrying about?

He snorted and stamped viciously on a discarded bit of plastic. He knew what he was worrying about—he'd only been with Alastor for a few months, really. Less than a whole summer. And Alastor had said flat out that he'd never thought about having children. What was he going to say when he realized that he had taken in a teenager full time? What was going to happen when he wanted his house back for himself? It was bound to happen sometime even if Severus was gone at school most of the year; the only person who'd always wanted Severus around was Mum, and she…well, she'd been his _mother_.

Something bounced off his leg, and he turned with a half-snarl.

"Sorry, mate," a boy about his age called. "Kick it back, would you?"

Severus considered the ball that lay on the tarmac and then gave it a cautious kick in the direction of the boy who'd spoken. He had no particular interest in getting into a fight with some random Muggle, not when he had other things to worry about.

"Haven't seen you before," the boy said, ignoring Severus' expression and doing something to the ball that made it jump into his arms. "You live around here?"

"I—yes."

"Brilliant. I'm Brian Winters. We—Da and Mum and I—just moved in a few weeks ago, and I was afraid there weren't any kids in the neighborhood over the age of ten. You play footie?"

Since Severus hadn't the vaguest idea what the boy was talking about, he was fairly confident that he was correct in responding negatively.

"What about rugby?"

Severus shook his head.

"Cricket?"

What was it with Muggles and crickets? They had a few useful properties in potions, granted, but in general they were annoying little insects and why anyone would want to _play_ with the things…. "No."

"You must play _some_ sport," came the exasperated response.

Well, he was hardly going to bring up Quidditch, so he shook his head again. "Sorry. I prefer more…intellectual…pursuits."

"Oh." The boy looked disappointed.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to be late."

"Yeah. I guess I'll see you around, then."

Severus made a noncommittal sound. He'd avoid coming this way when taking walks from now on.

He reached Alastor's flat again far more quickly that he'd intended…he still hadn't worked out what he was going to say to Alastor. He was going to be home shortly, and there was bound to be some discussion. Severus _wanted_ to say yes, but he didn't want to find out that Alastor was regretting his choice in a few weeks either.


	19. AU: What to Do

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

Severus sighed and headed up the walk to Alastor's front door. Maybe…. He shook his head. He just didn't know what to do.

"And just where have you been?" Alastor demanded when he stepped in the door.

Severus stopped in surprise. He hadn't _thought_ it was that late…the sun was showing no sign of setting, and he hadn't really walked very far. "Alastor?" Was something wrong? Had he come home early for some reason?

Alastor's expression didn't shift. "Was there something about 'leave a note' that was unclear?"

Severus swallowed hard. That hadn't even _occurred_ to him when he'd decided to go for a walk. And while it was still early for Alastor to be home, he wasn't stupid enough to try and use _that_ as an excuse. "No, sir. I was thinking about things and just…forgot." He had an unhappy suspicion that not leaving a note when he was going out was a punishable offense, but he wasn't sure just how punishable. Lines, probably, or a few more days stuck in the house. Neither of which really appealed to him.

Alastor sighed and relaxed his stance, rapping Severus' forehead lightly with a knuckle. "Suppose we'll let it go. _This_ time, mind you; it best not happen again. I don't like worrying."

"Yes, sir," Severus agreed. "I'm sorry."

Alastor shook his head and gripped the back of Severus' neck, shaking him gently. "Know you've got a fair bit on your mind right now. We're invited to the Prewetts' for dinner tonight, but if you'd rather stay home and talk about things that'd be fine with me."

"I…it's okay, we can go." That would give him a little longer to think about things, at least. Although trying to do any serious thinking with the Prewetts around was probably a lost cause. "When?"

"In an hour or so. I need to take a shower; Gideon and I spent half the day chasing a pair of idiot Muggle-baiters all over London. Why don't you see if we've anything we can take over for desert?"

Severus nodded agreeably as Alastor released his neck with a quick squeeze. He was fairly sure that he could manage a simple task without causing a major catastrophe, despite the mess he'd caused earlier. There had been strawberries at the market a few days ago, and he didn't think that he and Alastor hadn't managed to finish them off just yet.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Enough, all of you," Alastor said, splitting his glare between Gideon and Fabian. "He doesn't need any more ideas."

Severus wanted to object—he rather liked Gideon and Fabian's ideas, and he was more than looking forward to trying a few of them out on the Moronic Marauders—but there had been a hint of firmness in Alastor's tone and he wasn't sure that he wanted to push right now.

"Suppose we'd best be going, anyway," Alastor continued. "Getting late."

"After you finish school, see about getting yourself a job that doesn't start until noon," Fabian advised Severus. "The whole morning thing, it's entirely overrated."

Severus grinned. "I'll remember that." He and Alastor had come by Floo so there was no need to fetch cloaks, and he took the handful of Floo powder Alastor handed him with a nod of thanks.

"You stop by again before school starts—and don't bring him along," Gideon said with a nod at Alastor. "We'll get you all situated with supplies."

Severus grinned again and stepped into the fireplace. He'd take any help he could get when it came to dealing with those four. The fire's roar drowned out whatever Alastor said to Gideon in response, but he didn't look too annoyed when he rejoined Severus in his bedroom.

"Don't let those two get you into _too_ much trouble," Alastor warned with a shake of his head.

"I won't." But since he was going to be blamed for any sort of ruckus between himself and those idiots _anyway_—he always was—he might as well do enough to make it worth his while.

Alastor's expression turned serious. "You ready for bed, or do you want to talk for a little bit?"

"I…talk," Severus admitted.

Alastor sank down onto the bed, propping himself up against the headboard, and indicated for Severus to have a seat as well. "What are you thinking about, laddie?"

"I want to stay here," Severus admitted, unable to raise his eyes to Alastor's face. "It's just…what if something changes?"

"Like what?"

Like Alastor's opinion of having a teenager around, for one, but just Severus shrugged and picked at the duvet unable to voice that thought. A moment later a callused hand lifted his chin.

"Like what, Severus? Give you my word, I won't be angry."

"I'm not—I mean—I don't…." He trailed off with a shake of his head. He should have put this off a little longer, given himself more time to think. He could have legitimately claimed he was tired.

"Know I'm not exactly a proper da," Alastor said after a moment of silence. "Suppose worrying about that is fair enough."

"No!" Severus protested immediately. "It's not—that's not what I mean." Alastor had been good to him these past few months; he liked it here. "But what if you—I mean…." He shook his head and dropped his eyes back to the duvet. "What if you change your mind?" It took even more out of him to ask that than he had expected, and he licked his lips and tried to continue. "You said it was binding until—"

"I'm not going to change my mind, lad," Alastor interrupted firmly. "Told you, I've been thinking about this for a fair bit. Aye, it's true enough that it's not something that I'd ever thought of before I met you, but…." He shrugged. "Got rather used to having you here this summer, and besides, I daresay things would get a mite boring if our lives always worked out exactly as we expected."

Severus flushed and nodded slightly.

"You _don't_ have to decide right now. You don't even have to decide this week. The offer isn't going to go away."

The response to that was a much more quick nod. He should do it—he should just sign the stupid paper, he knew he should. If he didn't do it now, he'd just keep finding reasons to put it off, he could practically see it happening, and then he'd end up going back to school with no idea where he was going to end up next summer. Alastor had _said_ he could still come back here…well, at least if he signed that was for certain. Even if Alastor didn't really want him h— That thought was cut off by a hand lifting his chin, and he swallowed and met Alastor's eyes.

"Why don't you take another day or two to think about it? There's no rush; the offer isn't going to go away."

"Yes, sir. I…what would they talk to us about? The people who might interview us, I mean."

"I don't really know. Living here, I expect. How you like it, what you do for fun, that sort of thing. Maybe a little about your family." Alastor shrugged. "Mind, I could be completely wrong—I haven't done this before either—but I'm not sure what else there is to ask."

Severus nodded. He'd just wondered. "I think…I think I'm going to go take a shower and go to bed now."

"All right. Goodnight, lad."

"Goodnight, Alastor."

He was a coward, he decided as he made his way back down the hall. A stupid bloody _coward_. He couldn't even decide something when he _wanted _to.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus sighed as he turned down yet another street at random. He'd made up his mind when he'd woken up this morning to think things through once and for all and be able to tell Alastor when he got home. Nothing had changed since yesterday…he still thought staying with Alastor was the best option that he had. He _liked_ it there. He was _safe_ there. Of course he was still fairly certain that Alastor would change his mind about having a teenager around too. Maybe not immediately, but it was bound to happen at some point. And then…well, he might still be willing to tolerate Severus' presence, even if he wasn't thrilled with it. And that wouldn't be so bad—after all, he'd lived for years with grandparents who didn't really want him around. Who couldn't even be bothered to ask about him when he disappeared.

He sighed. He'd wandered into town and had lunch at one of the little cafes an hour or two ago, but the remains of the meal were now sitting heavily in his stomach and he was starting to wish that he'd just skipped eating entirely.

"Hey!" a voice called.

Severus turned and bit back a groan as the Muggle boy he'd met yesterday approached at a quick trot. "Hello."

"Didn't figure I'd see you here—I thought you lived back that way. Going somewhere for the afternoon?"

Severus shrugged. "No, I was just walking." He realized his mistake a moment later as the boy—Brandon?...Brendan?...Br-something, anyway—fell into step with him. He should have pretended he was running an errand or something.

"You know, I never got your name yesterday."

"Severus," he offered after a moment. _Brian,_ that was the name. There didn't seem to be any immediate way to relieve himself of Brian's presence—at least none that wouldn't get him into serious trouble—so he decided to go along with things for the moment. His personality would get rid of him soon enough anyway.

"Severus, huh? How long have you lived around here?"

"Since the beginning of summer."

"You're just moved here also? Wow. So I guess you'll be starting at Elmerst in a couple weeks too, won't you?"

"Elmerst?"

"You know, school?" Brian gave him an odd look.

"I…no. I go to school in Scotland."

"Oh." He made a face. "I was hoping I'd have a chance to meet someone who went there before I actually had to start. You know, this will be my third new school in four years? I _hate_ having to keep starting over as the new student. It's a pain in the arse, let me tell you."

Severus nodded, more for lack of anything to say than anything else.

"Well, at least there's always football. Easier to make friends when you're doing sports than sitting in class anyway. Still can't believe you don't play." He shook his head and then fell silent for a moment, although he kept pace with Severus and showed no sign of going away. "Say, I was going down to the cinema to see the new film that just came over from America—you know, _Jaws_?"

This time it was Severus who made a face. He knew perfectly well what a film was—he'd even remembered going to a cinema in one of the towns near Spinner's End once when he was very young—but why anyone would want to watch a film about someone's jaw he had absolutely no idea.

"Well, you must have at least _heard_ of it. They've been advertising it on the telly for the past month! Anyway, do you want to come along? Be much more fun than seeing it alone…Da's at work now, and Mum said there was no way she was going to watch something like that. Besides, who wants to go watch a film with his _parents_?"

"I d—"

"You said you were just walking around, and Mum gave me some spare money for a snack…it can be my treat. Really, I don't mind." He caught Severus' sleeve, tugging him forward lightly. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Um…." Severus searched for some reason to refuse, but he could think of nothing. Normally he'd simply have said 'no' and walked away, but…well, it wasn't as though he was doing anything else right now. It would give him something else to think about besides those bloody guardianship papers, at least.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

By the end of the film, Severus had made up his mind to _never_ visit the seaside. Or at least if he did, to stay well clear of the water. Granted that the film was set in America rather than England, and granted that the story was obviously fictional—how else would Muggles get giant exploding wands to kill things?—but he knew perfectly well that _sharks_ were real.

"That was _great_," Brian was enthused, waving his hands around as he reenacted bits and pieces of the movie during the walk back towards their neighborhood. He didn't seem overly concerned that Severus' only responses were grunts and vague nods…then again, he didn't seem to let much concern him. He was a rather odd Muggle.

Brian was halfway through his third reenactment of the scene in which the shark tore apart a cage when he stopped and stared at his watch. "What is it?" Severus asked.

"I've got to hurry; the movie was longer than I thought and if I'm late for dinner Mum will worry."

Worry…. "Oh, Merlin."

"Who?"

Severus stared for a moment and then shook his head. "Never mind, it…it's something we say in school. It's just that I just realized that I forgot to leave a note when I left this morning." How in Merlin's name could he have forgotten two days in a row?

"For your parents?" Brian sucked air in through his teeth. "Bloody hell, if I just up and left one morning without telling anyone, my da would blister my arse six shades of red."

Severus gave him a nasty glare. He was fairly certain that he'd just be yelled at and confined to the house for awhile longer, but he didn't really want to hear about other alternatives. Particularly that kind of alternative. "I'd better go."

"Yeah. See you later."

Severus hurried towards the house. It was entirely possible that Alastor wouldn't be home yet, anyway, he reasoned, and then he wouldn't have to worry about forgetting a note. After all, Alastor had come home early yesterday; it made sense that he might work later today to make up for it. Severus snorted. Yeah, _right_. His luck was never that good. Unfortunately he realized when he reached the front path that there wasn't any way to know whether he'd beaten Alastor home without actually going inside. If he had, well and good; if he hadn't…well, his best bet was probably to just go in and start apologizing.

The door flew open and banged against the brickwork as Alastor stepped out. "Severus?"

He gulped. So much for that.

"Inside, now."

Alastor's voice had a dangerous edge, and Severus wasn't about to disobey.

"Study."

And then again, maybe he'd been wrong about how upset Alastor would be, and his apology came out a little more panicked than he'd intended. "Please—I didn't mean to! I was just walking, and then Brian said we should go see a film, and I didn't think about it until we were walking home!"

The flood of words seemed to give Alastor pause for a moment, but he understood the last statement well enough. "Aye, and you should have thought of it before you left the house. Warned you just yesterday that this best not happen again."

He indicated the study again, and Severus ducked his head and went in. Much as he didn't want to, he was even less interested in antagonizing Alastor any further. "I'm _sorry_…can't you make me stay in the house for awhile longer instead? Or write lines?" He hadn't done anything _that_ bad, after all.

Alastor shook his head, already starting to unbuckle his belt. "Expect this will make a bit more of an impression. You _don't_ disappear without leaving a note."

"But I didn't disappear," Severus protested, unwilling to get any closer to the desk. "I was just out. It was an accident—I just forgot!"

"And how was I supposed to know that? Get home to an empty house with no way of knowing where you went or when you expected to be back…for all I knew you took yourself to lunch and then got hit by one of those rolling Muggle contraptions on the way back and was lying in a hospital somewhere! Or kidnapped, or Merlin knows what else!"

Kidnapping sounded more than slightly ridiculous—considerably more so than getting hit by a car did, and Severus thought that even that was a stretch—and he shook his head. "I really don't think someone would just come and haul me away. It was just a _mistake._"

"Your grandparents?" Alastor returned with a glare. "Or that Riddle character, whom I assure you, you annoyed? It might not be _likely_ that they'd find you here, but there is _no_ reason not to be properly vigilant." The hand not holding the belt banged the desktop, and his glare darkened. "And that includes letting people know where you are going and when you expect to return, _especially_ when you've already been told to do just that on more than one occasion."

"But—" He cut himself off with a gulp as Alastor drew his wand with his free hand and sent the papers scattered on the desktop over to rest on the bookshelf.

"Understand that you didn't mean to forget, lad, but this is the second time this has happened. If I've any say in the matter, there won't be a third."

But it wasn't _fair_…he'd figured he'd be yelled at for forgetting, not…. It wasn't like with the Department of Mysteries—he hadn't been in any danger!


	20. AU: Discussion and Decision

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also thank you to everyone who reviewed._

Severus bit his lip and tried valiantly—and unsuccessfully—to stop crying as Alastor's hand on his shoulder drew him upright again. He'd thought that the four strokes for climbing up on the dais had hurt, but that had been _nothing_ compared to the six he'd just received.

There was a rustling sound as Alastor refastened his belt, and then, "I trust I won't need to repeat this anytime soon?"

"N-no, s-s-sir," Severus agreed through his tears. "'m sor-ry. I w-won't for-g-g-get ag-gain."

"Then it's over and done with." The sternness was gone from Alastor's tone, and he reached out and squeezed the back of Severus' neck lightly. "Come along."

Severus wasn't surprised to find himself once again left in his room; honestly it was a relief to be able to cry as hard as he wanted without worrying about what someone else was thinking. He eventually sniffled hard and drew his wand long enough to turn his clothes back into robes. They were more comfortable than the Muggle garments he'd had to wear to go out. For good measure he cast a drying spell at the pillow that had taken the brunt of his tears as well before sniffling again and putting his head back down. The way he felt right now, he probably wouldn't be able to sit comfortably until he was back at Hogwarts.

He swiped at his still-damp eyes. It wasn't fair. He'd conceded that he deserved to be punished, at least for forgetting a note the day after being warned about doing just that—Alastor might have given the order, but he hadn't forced Severus over the desk—but it just didn't seem _right_ that he'd been punished more harshly for this than the mess at the Department of Mysteries. That had actually been _dangerous_, after all; this had been a simple accident.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and he scrubbed at his face again, trying to remove the tear tracks. There was no real point to it—after all, it wasn't like Alastor didn't know full well that he'd been crying—but it was the principle of the thing. He turned his head to face the far wall as the door creaked open.

"Severus?" The mattress dipped as Alastor sat down on the edge. "Dinner is about ready."

"I'm not hungry." This time he _wasn't_ actually, at least not too much. Besides, he was busy contemplating the general unfairness of the universe.

"You sure? Why don't you at least come lie down on the couch, and then if you get hungry it's there?"

Severus shook his head, pulling away at the light touch of a hand on his back.

"Lad?"

"You didn't have to punish me so hard." He bit his lip as soon as the words were out of his mouth—he'd never meant to say them out _loud_—but it was a little late to take them back now.

Alastor sighed. "Told you before; when disobedience means putting yourself in danger you most definitely earn yourself a thrashing."

"But I wasn't _in_ danger, and I still got more strokes than for the Department of Mysteries."

"Look at me, Severus."

That was not high on Severus' list of things to do right now, but direct disobedience was even lower—especially when Alastor started sounding stern—so he shifted around to lay on his other side.

"Going off without telling anyone where you're going _is_ dangerous. I know you don't believe me—that's part of the reason I punished you harder this time—but if you were hurt or Merlin forbid taken, how would I know where to begin looking? Start wandering down the street asking random strangers if they'd seen a skinny lad with dark hair? With a note that says you're going for lunch or to visit a friend, that's somewhere to start. Not to mention that leaving such a note is a fair bit better for my heart since it'll keep me from worrying about that sort of thing unless or until it's actually necessary."

Severus bit his lip. "But the likelihood of something happening to me on my way to lunch is—"

"Nobody can guard against everything that might happen in life, but there is _no_ bloody reason not to take basic precautions," Alastor interrupted sternly. "And generally when you let your guard down is when you need those precautions the most. Constant vigilance—if _I'm_ going somewhere for more than a day, I still let Gideon or Fabian or one of the others at work where I'm going, and they generally do the same." He sighed again. "You aren't invincible, laddie. I had to learn that lesson myself when I was about your age, and I'm not minded to see you find out the same way."

He wasn't invincible? Well, _obviously_. Of all the things Severus had ever considered himself, invincible had never been anywhere on the list. "What did you mean, that that was why the punishment was harder? Just because I didn't believe you?" _That_ didn't seem fair either and he turned his face a little further into the pillow.

This time Alastor ignored Severus' clenching muscles and squeezed his shoulder lightly. "Suppose I didn't put that very well. You've a perfect right to make your own decisions. I don't take safety issues lightly, though, and I daresay I know a bit more about what constitutes that sort of thing that you do. The way I see it, you understood why what happened in the Department of Mysteries was dangerous—you deserved the whipping you got, mind, but I wasn't overly worried about discouraging you from going back. This time…well, you may not think about leaving a note as a reasonable safety precaution, but I daresay the threat of another thrashing like that one will give you pause."

Severus felt his face heat, but he couldn't deny the truth in Alastor's words. He still thought Alastor's worries were on the ridiculous side, but there was no way he wanted a repeat of that punishment either. There was still something…unfair…about the whole thing, but…well, adults weren't fair, generally. Alastor was better than most of them so one little thing he could probably live with.

Alastor released his shoulder with a pat. "Come along, lad. A few bites won't hurt you."

Severus wanted to sulk a little longer, but it didn't sound like Alastor was going to let him. At least he'd been offered the option of lying on the couch without having had to ask, and he rolled to his feet. "What are we having?"

"Curry." Alastor stood as well and motioned for Severus to precede him down the hall. "Mine's not as good as yours, I'm afraid, but it's edible enough."

Severus stretched out on his stomach on the couch, accepting a bowl of curry from Alastor. He wasn't _really_ hungry, but it smelled pretty good….

"This Brian you mentioned, he's a new friend of yours?" Alastor asked as he sat down with his own bowl.

"I'm…not sure. It's…." He shook his head. "I met him the other day. He and his family just moved into the neighborhood a few weeks ago. We're about the same age and he doesn't know anyone else so when we ran into each other again he invited me to go with him to see a new film that just came out."

"A film?"

"It's called _Jaws_; it's from America."

Alastor opened his mouth and then shut it again. "The film has a name?"

"Of course. It's about a shark."

The confusion hadn't faded from his guardian's face. "You went to see a film on a shark from America? Named jaws?"

"Yes. Well, it wasn't a _real_ shark, obviously, but it was still pretty good."

Alastor shook his head. "I've seen films on the surface of a lake and such, but on a shark?"

"No!" Severus couldn't help a grin as he realized what Alastor was thinking about. "Not _that_ kind of film. The Muggle sort." His grin faded quickly as he considered how his grandparents would have reacted to that statement—and the fact that Brian was a Muggle—but Alastor did live in a Muggle neighborhood and knew Severus had gone into a Muggle town, so presumably it wouldn't be an issue with him. After all, he'd never once brought up the fact that Severus was a half-blood, and now that he thought about it, Severus realized that he didn't even know what Alastor's blood status _was_. Except, apparently, he wasn't likely Muggle-born.

"Never spent much time around Muggles. What is their sort of 'film' like?"

"It's…." Severus searched his mind for some way to explain. "Muggle films are sort of a cross between a play in a theatre and a Wizarding picture. They have…devices…that can photograph a play as it's happening and store it on…." He frowned. "Well, I don't know exactly what they store it on, but the stored version is called a film. And after it's stored they can play it back later from beginning to end for more people to see."

"And that's what you saw, one of these stored plays? You enjoyed it?"

Severus nodded.

"Good. Ought to be out spending some time with youngsters your age. Provided that you _leave a note_ about where you're going, mind."

The last was accompanied by a light rap on the bridge of Severus' nose, and he ducked his head slightly. "Yes, sir." He pushed around the last of his curry in the bowl for a few seconds. "Alastor?"

"Hm?" Alastor asked around a mouthful of curry.

"I…." He flushed, trying to figure out how to ask. It sounded stupid in his head—it _was_ stupid, really—except that he _had_ to ask because his grandparents hadn't even bothered, and….

Alastor's full attention returned to Severus as Severus tried to figure out how to frame the question. "What is it, lad?"

"You'd really have looked for me? I mean, if…?"

"If you hadn't come back? Aye. Did before, didn't I?"

Severus stared for a moment. He hadn't thought of it like that. Of course, when Alastor had first found him back in the train station in London he'd assumed that Alastor had come to take him to the Ministry because of all the trouble he'd caused, and then after the whole mess that followed and being sent to the Weasleys' house and everything else he'd pretty much tried _not_ to think about it, but…. "Oh. Yes." Not exactly a creative response, but his mind was temporarily blank.

Alastor shook his head. "You're a clever lad, no doubt about that, but you're still more than a bit young to be all on your own in the world. And even if you weren't, I'd still not be pleased to see you disappear without a trace—not right for people to just vanish with no one the wiser."

No immediate response came to mind, so Severus just nodded quickly and focused his attention on the remains of his dinner.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Severus sighed and shuffled the papers in front of him one more time. This was getting ridiculous. Well, actually, it was _already_ ridiculous, but…. He picked up the quill, clenched his jaw, and scribbled his signature on the line under Alastor's. There. It was done. He could give them to Alastor tonight, and then maybe this pit of worry in his stomach would finally go away. Of course then there would be some sort of interview to worry about…couldn't there be some sort of law that if Alastor had been his guardian for the past couple months then full guardianship just automatically transferred to him permanently and Severus didn't have to think about it?

He pushed himself up out of the desk chair, leaving the papers in a neat stack, and wandered into the kitchen. Last night's sleep had been…restless…at best, and he'd woken too late for breakfast, but maybe there was some curry left for lunch. There was a bowl in the preserver, and he heated it with a flick of his wand and sat down at the table to eat. What were they going to ask him in this interview? Did he like living with Alastor? Surely they could figure that out from the fact that he'd signed their stupid form. Did he plan to try and rob anyone else? That didn't really have anything to do with guardianship, but….

The bowl of curry that had smelled so good when he'd heated it suddenly didn't seem so appetizing, and he shoved it away and summoned the chess set to him with a quick 'Accio'. Maybe sometime Alastor would show him how to do summoning charms with just a finger flick, the way he did it. That would be useful at school. But for now Severus had what…five, six hours before Alastor got home and he could hand those papers off? Letting the chess pieces batter each other would kill some time, at least; he wasn't really in the mood to go outside just now.

He couldn't help shifting in his seat, remembering the end results of yesterday's little excursion. Not that he really needed to—however awfully Alastor's whippings might hurt at the time, they didn't leave him with bruises and or welts that would make sitting unpleasant for days—but the memory was still fresh enough to make him squirm.

With a sigh, he gave the black queen a flick and set her to battering one of the white knights. The knight began immediately to howl invectives at both her and Severus, and Severus turned his attention to convincing the rest of the pieces to fight as well.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The door swung open and Alastor and a woman Severus didn't recognize stepped in. Presumably this was the person who was supposed to interview them since Alastor had taken the papers back two days ago and had said their interview would occur in two or three days. Severus fumbled with the book he'd been reading, dropping it on the floor with a 'bang' that seemed far louder than it should have been in his haste to get to his feet.

Alastor ignored the commotion he'd caused—and the rising flush in his face—and gestured towards Severus. "Miss Eustace, this is Severus Snape; Severus, Ellen Eustace, from Wizarding Family Services."

Severus managed an appropriate half-bow without further humiliating himself. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Ellen, please," she said with a wave of her hand. "I was wondering if I might have a word with you."

"Of course." He glanced towards the study and then back at her.

"Perhaps we could speak in your room?"

"Certainly." He hadn't really expected that, though he supposed that he should have. Alastor had mentioned that there might be some sort of home inspection, and it made sense to get that and the interview over with at once. At least he'd made his bed this morning. He gestured towards the hallway. "This way, please." There was nothing in his room to sit on except the bed, and he pulled two books off the bookshelf and managed two quasi-respectable chair transfigurations. He gave her the one with legs all the same length.

"Ah, thank you." She sat down and pulled a piece of parchment and a quill out of her handbag. "Now, I'm going to need to make some notes while we're talking, but I don't want you to worry about that."

If she smiled any wider, her jaw was probably going to dislocate, Severus decided, but he simply nodded and wished that he had a better view of the parchment from where he was sitting.

"I understand that you've been living with Auror Moody for most of the summer, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ellen, please."

Right, she'd said that before. He still thought he'd best err on the respectful side.

"I have some basic questions to ask, so I suppose we'll start with those. "Do you like living here?"

"Yes."

She nodded to the bookshelves. "These books, they're all yours?"

"Mostly they're Alastor's, but I'm allowed to read them." He'd have to have been buying entire shelves-worth from Flourish and Blotts every week, to have acquired so many in just the time he'd been here.

"You read a lot?"

He nodded.

"What about other hobbies?"

"I like making potions," he offered. She was probably hoping for some sort of sport or game or that sort of thing, but while he did play Quidditch on occasion it wasn't something he obsessed about.

"Do you do that here?"

"In school." He wasn't going to bring up the mess he'd made this summer—Alastor had said that he wouldn't tell the Ministry, and _Severus_ certainly didn't plan to do so. "Mostly here I just cook."

"Meals?"

"Yes."

"Does Auror Moody require you to do that?"

"No. He used to cook all the time—he still does, sometimes—but I'm better at it, and I'm usually home all day anyway so it's easier for me."

"Do you get enough to eat?"

"Yes." He decided that there must be some sort of checklist on that paper of hers…mark a 'yes' here, a 'no' there, and her work was done.

"You've never missed a meal, nor had a meal withheld as punishment?"

"No."

"Never?"

Severus shrugged slightly as she continued to press. "Well, I've skipped breakfast a few times when I've woken up late, but Alastor says I'm too skinny to be skipping meals so…."

She smiled even wider, which he'd have thought was impossible. "What about friends? Other children in the area? I understand that you were in some…trouble…earlier this summer—we'll talk about that in a bit—but you've had a few weeks to get out and about now."

"There's a boy who lives up the street. Brian." Granted they weren't exactly _friends_, but some adults got…twitchy…about children who preferred to be alone most of the time. They had done one activity together so presumably they could at least be considered acquaintances; that would have to do.

"That's good. Do you and Auror Moody spend much time together? What sort of things do you do?"

"Um, we play chess or cards in the evenings some nights, or go for walks, and we both read in the sitting room."

"And he treats you well?"

"Yes."

"You generally call him Alastor?"

"Mostly, yes. Sometimes 'sir'." She made a longer note this time on her paper, and Severus decided to elaborate a little. "He doesn't really like it; it's just a habit I learned at my grandparents'."

"Ah." Another note went beside the first. "You lived with your grandparents previously, correct?"

"Yes."

"Why did you choose to leave?"

"They never particularly wanted me, and when my mother died this past spring…." He shifted uncomfortably, unwilling to discuss either of the Princes further. "It was just time to leave."

"Hm. Do you two talk much—you and Auror Moody, I mean?"

Severus stared for a moment. "I…. Neither of us is really…." He wasn't even sure what the word he wanted was. Or, for that matter, the answer she was looking for. Surely a person didn't have to chatter continuously to be someone's guardian. "We talk sometimes, I guess."

"About what?"

"I don't know…what we're going to do for an evening, about a book…. Sometimes he helps me with my schoolwork."

"What about your family?"

"No." He didn't even like to _think_ about his family, he certainly wasn't going to bring them up deliberately in conversation.

"Well, do you know anything about his family?"

"He has brothers." He remembered that much from their conversation at the Weasleys', and the fact that Alastor's father hadn't been a particularly nice man—something that was none of her business—but Alastor wasn't really any more forthcoming than he was.

"Hm." Whatever she was writing on her paper, she didn't look overly pleased. "Do you feel that you could speak to him about that sort of thing if you wanted to?"

"I suppose." Though he couldn't imagine why he'd ever want to do such a thing. He was sometimes a little curious about Alastor, granted, but he wasn't about to start asking questions that would logically lead to Alastor asking the same questions in return.

"Have you met any of Auror Moody's friends?"

Severus nodded quickly, glad to be off the whole topic of 'talking.' "Yes. I know his partner and his partner's brother—Gideon and Fabian Prewett."

"You've spent some time with them?"

"We go over there for dinner sometimes, and then they and Fabian's partner sometimes come over here as well."

"And you get along with them?"

Fabian's anger at him for Gideon being injured led back to the whole potions mess that he wasn't going to talk about, and anyway that was all settled now. "Yes."

"They haven't made you feel as if you shouldn't be here? Perhaps said something to Auror Moody about his having taken you in?"

Severus shook his head quickly. He couldn't imagine the Prewetts saying anything like that—they'd been the ones to suggest that Alastor take him in the first place, even if it had been just supposed to be a temporary solution—and if anyone else had said anything, they certainly hadn't done it in his hearing.

"That's good. Now, I understand that you'd been in some trouble when you first came to live here—stealing?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Have you stayed out of trouble since you've been here?"

"Mostly." He'd rather have just said 'yes', but he very much doubted that she'd have believed him. He couldn't imagine that there were too many teenagers who could go for an entire summer without causing _any_ trouble.

"And have you been punished when you've gotten into trouble, or is Auror Moody fairly permissive?"

Permissive? Yeah, right. Well, maybe about things like Severus not keeping his room clean or forgetting to put books away, but…. "Punished," he admitted, and hoped that she wouldn't press any further. Maybe there was just a checkbox to mark whether or not a potential guardian was overly lenient or something like that.

"Can you tell me the last thing that you were punished for?"

"A few days ago Brian and I went to see—" he remembered Alastor's confusion and decided to simplify things a bit. "We went to the theatre in town, and I forgot to leave a note to tell Alastor where I'd gone."

"And what was your punishment?"

He flushed and concentrated on his knees for a moment. He'd pretty much seen this coming when she'd raised the topic, but that didn't mean that it was something that he wanted to talk about with a total stranger.

"Severus?"

"I got a whipping," he admitted quietly. If he didn't think she'd ask Alastor the same questions he might have tried lying, but Alastor _wouldn't_ lie if asked, so….

She definitely didn't look pleased with that information. "I'm afraid I'm going to need a bit more detail."

He could feel his face growing warmer. "I had to bend over the desk in the study for six strokes with his belt."

"Were you required to remove any clothing?"

"No…I was wearing Muggle trousers so I just got punished across those."

"And how many other times have you been punished in this manner?"

"Twice."

"For?" She was writing quickly on that paper now…not 'yes' or 'no' questions anymore.

"The first time for lying, and then the second time for messing around in the Department of Mysteries." And hopefully she wouldn't ask for any more details about those incidents.

"Did he strike you particularly hard? Were you left with bruises or other marks?"

Severus shook his head quickly. "No, ma'am. It hurt for a little while, and then it was done with." Technically he'd had one or two little bruises after the first whipping, but they'd been gone in a day or two, and Alastor had already admitted that he'd punished Severus harder than he should have that time anyway. The last two might have hurt, but they hadn't been anywhere near that harsh.

"Has he ever tried to use any other type of discipline, or is a whipping his first response?"

"I had to write lines once, and go to my room, and for awhile I had to help the house elves at the Ministry after I disobeyed. It's only for serious things that I get sent to the study."

"And have you discussed what qualifies as 'serious'?"

From her tone she seemed to doubt it, and Severus tried not to glare. "Lying, breaking the law, and disobedience that puts me in danger. I probably wouldn't have been punished for forgetting a note except I'd just been warned about the same thing the day before."

"Hm. Had you ever received physical punishment before you came here?"

What that had to do with Alastor being his guardian he didn't know, nor did he feel like telling her his life story, but she was still writing things on her stupid parchment…. "My father did."

"So Auror Moody treats you basically as your father did. You could always go back to living with him, you realize."

"I don't _want_ to live with my father. He hates magic." And wasn't too fond of Severus, either. "Alastor's not like him." She didn't look convinced, and he shook his head. "I want to stay with Alastor. He says he wants me to stay here. What else do you need to know?"

"Well, I think it's time that I interviewed Auror Moody, for one. If you wouldn't mind waiting here so the two of us could speak in private?"

He did mind, actually, but she obviously wasn't giving him an option as she swept out the door. It wasn't…they couldn't say no just because he'd been punished, could they? He'd deserved it, after all, and Alastor hadn't been terribly harsh—if he'd hit Severus even half as hard as he really could have, Severus _would_ have bruises and welts. But…. He bit back a groan. He should have just refused to answer anything but yes or no questions and left it at that.

If there had been any cover in the hallway he'd have been tempted to sneak down and try and listen in on whatever she and Alastor were saying, but since there wasn't and he didn't exactly want to get caught disobeying…. He sighed and went to get Aberdeen down from her shelf. He hadn't played with her at all in the last couple days; she was probably getting annoyed with him.


	21. AU: The Wait

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed._

Severus sighed and lifted Aberdeen back onto her shelf. He wasn't exactly in the mood to play right now. By his estimate, that Eustace woman had been speaking to Alastor for over thirty minutes. Nearly forty-five, in fact. That was longer than she'd spent with _him_, he was fairly certain.

Would Alastor be angry at him for telling? Surely not…Alastor would have told him to tell the truth if he'd been there. Wouldn't he have? It hadn't exactly been her _business_, but since she was the one who was going to decide where he lived…. He groaned and flopped back on the bed. Who knew, anymore? Maybe he should just take a vow of silence and not talk at all.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and he sat up quickly. "Come in."

"You all right, lad?"

"Yes, sir." Alastor didn't exactly look pleased as he crossed the room, and Severus focused on the ground, biting his lip. It just figured that he'd muck this up. "I…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything about getting punished. I just—she asked, and I wasn't sure—I didn't think—"

"Severus," Alastor interrupted, sitting down on the edge of the bed and tilting his chin up. "You've nothing to apologize for. You _told the truth_, exactly as I expect. Understand?"

"But she was upset when she went to talk to you." And Alastor didn't exactly look thrilled _now_.

"Aye, that's true enough, and I damn near got my ears blistered. But that's my fault, not yours. I'm the one who hasn't a ruddy clue what he's doing, after all."

Severus shook his head in automatic denial. Alastor did just fine, and anyway it wasn't like he'd _asked_ to get a teenager dropped in his lap.

"Suppose there's no point in arguing about this right now."

The light pressure of a callused hand on the back of his neck helped Severus relax a little, and he glanced up at Alastor. "What's going to happen?"

"She needs to talk to the committee at work, and we should have a decision in the next couple days."

"We have to _wait_?" More?

"I'm afraid so." He patted Severus' back lightly and stood. "But I think it will be all right. Up. Come along."

Severus stared at him. "Where are we going?"

"I don't feel much like cooking at the moment, and I doubt you do either, so I thought we'd go into town for dinner. You can show me one of these…films."

"Oh." Severus wasn't hungry—though he supposed that he _should_ be—but he got to his feet automatically. "Okay." He'd rather stay close to Alastor right now than be alone in his room anyway.

"Would you prefer anything in particular? Chinese, maybe? Fish and chips?" Alastor asked as they left the house.

"Whatever you'd like," Severus said with a shrug as he waited for Alastor to lock the front door behind them. It seemed rather pointless—there were plenty of intruder detection and removal spells all over the doors and windows—but since this _was_ a Muggle neighborhood…. He sighed. The way he felt right now, it didn't matter where they went. There was no way that he was going to be able to keep down more than a few mouthfuls anyway.

Alastor cleared his throat. "Well, we'll see what looks good when we get there. You know, I haven't gone into town in quite awhile."

Severus nodded absently.

They matched paces in silence for several minutes, and then Alastor glanced down at Severus. "What is it, lad?"

Severus flushed, glad that the darkening sky kept most of the color rising in his face from showing. He hadn't meant for any of his quick glances to be caught, although it was probably stupid to think an Auror _wouldn't_ notice. "I…." He wanted to know what the woman had asked Alastor, what Alastor had said, how she had reacted—down to her exact words—but Alastor hadn't asked _him_ any of those questions, so he didn't precisely have the right to inquire. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir." He wasn't _exactly_ lying, not really, anyway…it wasn't anything important, after all.

A rough hand rested on the base of his neck for a moment, and he ducked his head.

"What if she says 'no'? What if they send me back to my grandparents?" Aside from the fact that he'd hate having to leave Alastor's…they'd _kill_ him. No one would believe it if he actually said something like that, but he knew they would. He knew it.

"No one's going to send you back there, laddie. Whatever else happens, I can promise you that."

"No you can't."

"Yes, I can. The fact that they basically abandoned you for an entire summer has already disqualified them as guardians, at least in the short term—if it hadn't, Wizarding Family Services wouldn't even be considering my application. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have considered putting in an application because I have _no_ desire to give either of those two any ideas."

'The short term' didn't necessarily cover the next year and a half until Severus was of age, but he supposed that it would do for now. Though it didn't solve his immediate problem. "I want to stay with you."

"I know, and I'd just as soon keep you around. Like I said, I think it will be all right, but the fact is that they're just trying to do what's best for you. Whether you agree with me or not, the fact is that I really don't have a bloody clue what I'm doing. To them, at least, that shows."

"Not like I know how it's supposed to work either," Severus pointed out. "_I_ think it's going okay."

"Aye, well, you haven't what I'd call a lot of experience to draw from either."

Severus kicked the nearest rock viciously.

"Enough of that. No sense in worrying right now—we'll have their answer soon enough."

Maybe Alastor wasn't worried, but then Alastor wasn't the one they were going to drag off who-knew-where, was he? He kicked another rock.

"Severus."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Do you want to go home, lad?"

Severus nodded. He'd been right about dinner—he couldn't even remember where they'd eaten—and though Alastor's interest in the film equipment had distracted him for a few minutes, the film itself wasn't exactly holding his attention. It was some sort of crime thing, he thought, or at least from what little he'd paid attention to the main character seemed to be investigating something. And doing a poor job of it if Alastor's disgusted mutters were any indication.

They made their way out of the cinema quickly—the film hadn't exactly drawn a crowd—and began the walk back towards Alastor's.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Alastor snorted before he could say anything, gripping Severus neck lightly and giving him a quick shake. "You've a right to be a bit nervous, but I really think that it will be all right."

"Why? She didn't like what I said."

"Oh, she was annoyed with me, no question. I believe the phrase she used was 'antiquated and counterproductive ideas about child rearing,' in fact. But other than the fact that giving a lad a thrashing when he's earned it is apparently now considered out of date—not sure why—and that we're apparently supposed to 'talk' more than we do—not sure about _what_—she didn't have too much to complain about. You eat properly; you've stayed out of major trouble; you've even managed to find a friend. Most of which is your doing rather than mine, but…." He shrugged. "I expect I'll get lectured a bit more, and I doubt I'm going to enjoy it, but I don't think they've any real reason to send you elsewhere. 'Antiquated' or not, nothing I did is illegal by any stretch of the imagination, and it's not as though there aren't other families that use the same methods."

It was Severus' turn to snort. He couldn't imagine Alastor being anything but…he didn't even know the word. Not exactly _perfect_, but something like that. He didn't mess about with shades of gray, and the idea of him doing something actually illegal was more than faintly ridiculous.

"And if you don't believe any of _that_, well, you might take a bit of comfort in the fact that I doubt they'll have any more luck finding another place to store you than I did originally. Though I grant that I stopped looking pretty quickly."

The last was true enough, Severus had to admit. There probably _weren't_ many Wizarding families willing to take in some random fifteen year old, especially one like him. It was an odd thing to find comforting.

"Try not to worry so, laddie. We'll know soon enough."

"But what if they send me to the Weasleys' or something?" A year and a half with two annoying toddlers and two adults that weren't really much better.

"Then I expect that you'll cope. You'll be in school most of the year anyway, and as for next summer…well, you know where I live, and you're welcome to come by any time. I'd bloody well _expect_ you to come by. I'll even sneak you books if Molly tries taking yours away."

Severus smiled slightly. "Yes, sir."

"That habit we're going to have to break, though. It's _Alastor_."

"Yes, sir. Alastor. Sorry."

Alastor shook his head and flicked Severus' forehead lightly. "Close enough, I suppose."

"I am sorry I spoiled your film." He hadn't exactly been good company tonight.

"Ah, wasn't much good anyway. Fascinating how they do it—playing back those 'reels'—but if that's how Muggles go about solving crimes I can't see how they ever accomplish anything. No tracking spells, no Veritaserum…and all those odd exploding wands."

"They had a really big one in _Jaws_," Severus offered. "A rifle, I think they called it."

"Hm."

It was well after dark, and Severus wasn't surprised that Alastor forewent the whole key thing in favor of a flick of his wand to open the door. "Do you think we might find out tomorrow?"

Alastor sighed. "I don't know, lad. I suppose it depends when this committee meets. Do you want Dreamless Sleep tonight?"

"Can I?" He probably shouldn't be taking potions to go to sleep, but he didn't doubt that he'd be up half the night worrying if he didn't.

"Just this once."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Aberdeen squeaked indignantly, and Severus muttered an apology and lowered his hand to let her take the last bit of cheese. Alastor had left for work by the time he'd woken up this morning—it was technically a weekend, but Aurors schedules tended to depend more on open cases than what day of the week it was—and he'd been left with nothing to do but wander around the house and worry. That was the same thing he'd been doing for the past several days, and it was seriously getting old.

He'd taken a quick walk around the neighborhood after breakfast, but Brian hadn't been out and he really hadn't wanted to talk to him so much that he was willing to go up and knock on the door. Especially since he wasn't entirely certain which house the other boy lived in. And then it had started to rain, so now he was stuck indoors.

A knock at the door startled him, and he paused a moment unsure if he'd really heard it. Alastor wouldn't knock…Fabian or Gideon might if they were visiting, but they were at work now. At least Gideon was, and he couldn't come up with a reason why Fabian would come over at ten in the morning. If it was an emergency his visitor would probably have come through the floo…wouldn't he?

He opened the door cautiously, wand tucked in his sleeve, and found himself staring. "Ah…Ms. Eustace? May I help you?"

"May I come in?"

"Oh. Um, of course." He stepped back from the door and waved her inside.

"Thank you." She cast a quick drying spell at herself. "Perfectly miserable day, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Now if she'd just tell him what in Merlin's name she was doing here…if they'd made a decision, shouldn't Alastor be here as well? Unless…. He swallowed hard and repeated his question. "May I help you?"

"We were going over the records of you and Auror Moody's conversations, as well as your personal records, and I realized that we'd missed a rather important figure. Your father is still living, correct?"

"I…yes. As far as I know." Unfortunately. But he'd _told_ her that he didn't want to live with him….

"I thought we could speak to him today."

"We?" She'd interviewed _Alastor_ alone, why couldn't she do the same with Tobias Snape?

"Well, as I understand it you haven't lived with him in seven years. You don't wish to see him?"

"Not particularly."

"I really think that this would be good for you."

And Severus really thought that it wouldn't. "I…but, Alastor…." Maybe if Alastor went with them it wouldn't be so bad.

"I'm certain he'd agree. If we go now, we could perhaps speak to him over lunch."

She obviously wasn't planning to take no for an answer, and he sighed and reached for Aberdeen. "Let me put her back on her shelf." He scratched a quick note while he was in his room—if he didn't come back this time, he _definitely_ wanted Alastor to know where to look—and then sighed and transfigured his robes. He'd rather go out in Wizarding garb so Eustace could see what his father was really like, but since she was wearing Muggle clothing he doubted that he'd be able to get away with it.

"Ah, good. You're all ready to go, then?"

"Is there a floo station?" As he recalled, he and his mother had had to take a bus to Manchester before they were able to enter the Wizarding world. Spinner's End wasn't exactly in the middle of a bustling city. If his father even still lived there…well, he could always hope.

"We'll take the Knight Bus—I've already booked us seats. It should get us there in more than enough time."

"How efficient of you," Severus muttered under his breath as they exited into the rain and she held out her wand. A Muggle bus couldn't do it, but from the stories about the Knight Bus it probably _could_ make the trip that quickly.

"I'm sorry?"

"That was nice of you," he said a bit louder.

A triple-decker bus painted an absolutely hideous shade of purple that rivaled even Professor Dumbledore's most offensive robes materialized along the street abruptly, and she smiled. "Excellent. Shall we go?"


	22. AU: Visiting

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the Harry Potter series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also, thank you to Her-My-Oh-Knee for beta'ing. There should be fewer of my typos in this chapter._

_Last but not least, thank you to everyone who has reviewed...the story is mapped out to the end, but hearing what people like/don't like helps me with editing (and encourages me to work more quickly)._

Severus gritted his teeth as Miss Eustace prattled on. The Knight Bus traveled far too quickly for any of her commentary to be on the scenery—unfortunately; _that_ he might have found vaguely tolerable—instead she chattered on about happiness and love and families and Merlin knew what other idiocy. And he was pinned between her and the window so he couldn't even sneak away.

She wasn't showing any signs of ceasing at any point in the near future either…it was like listening to Molly Weasley. _After_ Molly had eaten a couple dozen chocolate frogs or Every Flavor Beans or something else horrendously sugar-loaded.

The bus jolted and his skull bounced painfully off the windowpane he was leaning against. "Damn it."

She focused on him for a minute. "Hmm?"

"Nothing." He closed his eyes and tried to zone out again. Maybe if Alastor asked if he needed anything else for school he could work up the nerve to mention a watch. They weren't expensive, and granted that he could use the _Tempus_ spell at school as easily as at home, but it would be nice to have one on trips like this that seemed to take forever. Not that he ever planned to repeat this _particular_ trip again, but….

His head bounced off the window once more, and he held back a groan only by great force of will. He did not want to be doing this. He _really_ did not want to be doing this. Why couldn't this stupid bus be heading in the other direction? Merlin, even if he had been expecting Alastor to be waiting with his belt in his hand, Severus thought that he'd _still_ rather face that than have to deal with Tobias-bloody-Snape. At least Alastor had always tried to take care of him instead of shouting and stamping off.

His skull made contact with the window for the third time in ten minutes as the bus lurched to a halt, and he bit off a less-than-appropriate curse as a witch hauling two small children and a stack of parcels pushed her way to the front. Merlin knew why she hadn't just shrunk them, either the parcels or the children or both. It would have saved her a lot of hassle.

"Next stop, Spinner's End!" the driver called, with entirely too much enthusiasm for Severus' tastes.

"Aren't you excited?" Miss Eustace asked.

"Thrilled." The woman had to have been a Hufflepuff; his sarcasm went in one ear and out the other without even registering. A quiet groan escaped as she started to chatter again.

All too soon, his head suffered yet another collision with the window and the Knight Bus pulled to a halt in a street that seemed somehow too narrow to fit it. Miss Eustace waved Severus off first, pausing to say something to the driver before she stepped off as well. Hopefully she was reminding him to pick them up again when she called; Severus didn't know how to Apperate yet, and he had no desire to find himself stuck here. There wasn't a Floo around for miles to call Alastor.

"I believe it is…this way," Miss Eustace said with a quick look around.

Severus was fairly certain that she was right—although it had been a long time since he'd been here—but he couldn't help but hope that they were both wrong. Unfortunately, his luck didn't seem to be much better in this than it was in anything else.

Not much had changed since he'd last been here, he couldn't help noticing. There were still the same narrow, cobbled streets with bleak building fronts looming over them and only a little sunlight filtering down. At least it _was_ sunny, on the grey days the neighborhood was pretty much completely miserable. A few flowerpots still hung from the upper windows, fruitless attempts by the locals to spruce things up a bit. Back when he'd been a child he'd used to amuse himself by pitching rocks up and trying to knock them down; from the tattered look of most of the ones he could see there were other children who now found it a worthy game.

He had no idea where Miss Eustace had found her information, but she headed unerringly towards the end of the street. "I think they'll be home now…."

Severus turned towards her at that. Who were 'they'? And…. He frowned and double-checked himself. Yes, that was his old home, but he could not for the life of him imagine _Tobias Snape_ hanging flowerpots from his windows. Ever. Tearing them down and roaring about wasting money, _that_ he had no trouble imagining, but….

Miss Eustace stepped up to the door, rapped her knuckles against the wood, and then moved back beside Severus.

Severus clenched his teeth and straightened his shoulders as he heard the sound of a bolt sliding back, and then the door swung open inwards. To reveal…no one. At least not until Severus dropped his eyes about three feet, to the face of a small child. It was a boy, probably about the same age as the older Weasley.

"Hello," Miss Eustace greeted, apparently unsurprised. "Is your Daddy at home?"

Severus sucked in his breath as the little boy studied her for a moment. Now that he looked, he realized that he could see entirely too much of himself reflected back in those features. Granted that the boy's face had a ruddy cast that Severus' had never had, and his hair, although black, was curly, but his eyes were just as dark and his nose already had a rather distinctive hook.

"Anthony?" a woman called from somewhere inside. "Is someone at the door?"

"They want Daddy!"

"He went down to the store." A plump woman with curly brown hair came to the door, wiping floured hands on her apron. "But he should be back in a few minutes. Until then, perhaps I can help you."

"My name is Ellen Eustace, from Family Services."

She left out the 'Wizarding' part, Severus noticed, but then that wasn't really a surprise. There was no way that this woman was anything but pure Muggle.

"I don't know whether or not your husband ever spoke about his first marriage," Miss Eustace continued, "but this is his son, Severus."

The woman smiled—falsely, Severus thought. It didn't reach her eyes, and she certainly didn't offer her hand or invite them in. "It's so nice to meet you. My name is Catherine Snape, and this is my son—my and Tobias' son—Anthony. Anthony, say 'hello' to the nice people."

Severus barely kept a scowl off his face. The pleasant tone of her voice was just as fake as that smile.

"Hello," the boy said obediently.

"Why don't you go upstairs to your room and play," she suggested to the boy in the same false-pleasant tone. She waited until the sound of footsteps on stairs echoed from the interior before turning back. "I…if you don't mind, why are you here? I was under the impression that, uh, Severus was living with his mother. I know Tobias wasn't expecting…company."

"Unfortunately, Eileen Snape passed away earlier this year, and Severus has found himself at somewhat loose ends in terms of living arrangements. His grandparents aren't capable of caring for him at the moment, and he is only fifteen, after all."

Severus wanted to protest—first of all, he could so take care of himself. And even if he _couldn't_, he had a place to live. He had Alastor. But he was still having trouble coping with the identity of the little boy who'd answered the door, and his tongue really wasn't cooperating as well as he might have wished.

"I'm not sure what you expect us—"

"Catherine?" a deep voice asked from behind Severus. "Is something wrong?"

The little boy was abruptly forgotten as Severus realized that he knew that voice. Granted that he was accustomed to a decidedly different tone, but…. He clenched his fingers on his wand and turned slowly.

Most of Tobias' attention was on Catherine—his _wife_—so Severus had a few moments to study him without interruption. Somehow his father didn't loom so large standing in front of him as he did in Severus' memories. He was still a little larger and broader across the shoulders than Severus was—he was a grown man, obviously, so he was bound to be—but Severus had become accustomed to Alastor in these past few months. And Alastor had probably a solid two inches and twenty or thirty pounds on his father. As to the rest…well, Severus' complexion and basic build had come mostly from his mother's side, but it was blindingly obvious just which parent he'd inherited his facial features from. Tobias nose was a bit more crooked than Severus' was—a bit more crooked than Severus remembered as well, but then he'd probably been in a few fights in the past seven years—but even the general shape was the same.

Severus realized suddenly that silence had fallen and drew himself back to the present. Where he found Tobias looking at him with absolute disgust, and that was putting it _mildly_.

"What is _that_ doing here?" Tobias demanded, stabbing a work-roughened finger in Severus' direction.

"Well, as I explained to your wife, his mother passed away several months ago—"

"Good," Tobias muttered. "Unnatural cow."

Severus gritted his teeth and bit back the urge to draw his wand and _make_ him take that back.

Miss Eustace sounded slightly shocked as she continued. "Well, I would think that you would at least be concerned about your son."

"_That_ is not my son," Tobias said with a sneer and a rude gesture in Severus' direction. "_That_ is an unnatural freak, just like Eileen was, and I want nothing to do with it."

"But—"

"I have a family now—a _proper_ family. And a _proper_ son. I assume you're one of those creatures as well? Well, you can take _it_ back with you, wherever you people go, and keep it. Or not. Throw it in an orphanage; hell, throw it in the river for all I care. Catherine, inside." Tobias pushed between Severus and Miss Eustace, following his wife who'd done as he'd ordered and retreated into the house. Before either of them could react, he slammed the door behind him, and then there was the sound of a lock sliding into place and…nothing.

"I…but…." Miss Eustace stepped forward, rapping sharply on the door.

"Piss off, or I'll call the cops!" Tobias shouted through the door.

"But…this is most irregular," Miss Eustace protested.

She wasn't loud enough to be heard through the door, which Severus supposed was just as well. "Can we leave now?"

"But…."

"He doesn't want me, okay? Can we just _go_?!"

"I…." She shook her head and drew her wand, waving it to summon the Knight Bus back. "I suppose we might as well. But I still think that this is most irregular."

Of course it was. Severus was just so bloody _lucky_ when it came to relatives. He kicked the bag of groceries that Tobias had left forgotten on the ground when he'd gone inside—hopefully he'd just smashed all their eggs or something—and then shook his head and dropped down to sit against the brick wall. Miss Eustace was still muttering to herself, but thank Merlin she seemed too shocked to try and force _him_ to talk. He pressed his forehead against his knees. Hopefully it wouldn't take the bus too long to get here.

When the Knight Bus finally reappeared, Severus allowed Miss Eustace to board first and then took a seat on the opposite side of the aisle against the window. She was bound to start chattering at him again shortly, and he just didn't want to deal with her right now. He'd known this was a bad idea. He'd known it. And it hadn't gone as badly as it could have; really…Tobias hadn't actually _done_ anything to him, after all. And if Tobias didn't want him, Wizarding Family Services would have to let him stay with Alastor. Wouldn't they? So everything had worked out fine after all.

He scratched at the paint under the window, sending flakes of purple to the floor. It wasn't as if it really mattered what Tobias Snape thought anyway. The man was an idiot—look at what he'd traded Severus' mother for. A wife just like all of the other identical wives that were married to his neighbors—one who cooked and smiled fake smiles and followed his orders like she was under Imperius. Mum had been a million times better.

There was a rustling as Miss Eustace shifted into the seat next to Severus—damn her, why couldn't she just leave him well enough alone?—and he ground his teeth and leaned his forehead against the window again. Maybe the bus would hit a particularly large bump and he'd be knocked unconscious.

"I just don't understand," she was saying. "A standard background check indicated that he's been happily married for the past five years and has a healthy and by all accounts happy four year old son. He has a steady job as well, and…." She threw up her hands. "There haven't even been any disturbances in the household."

And there had been when Severus and his mother had been living there, he knew _that _perfectly well. "Yeah, well, now his wife and son aren't magical, are they?"

"I—"

"Can you just leave me _alone_?!" There were a few quick stares—and equally quickly-averted eyes—from the other passengers on the bus, and he lowered his voice and glared at her. "I mean, haven't you done enough for one day?"

"I understand that you're feeling hurt and probably vulnerable right now, and I'm sure you need to talk—"

"No I _don't_. I just want to go home." He turned and pressed his forehead even tighter against the window, and while he was fairly certain that she continued to try and speak to him, he was at least marginally successful in blocking her out.

The bus made probably half-a-dozen stops before it finally pulled up in front of Alastor's house, and Severus finally felt the muscles in his shoulders loosening. Alastor would pat his back and tell him he was clever and probably praise him for leaving a note, and then they'd have dinner and maybe play chess and everything would be fine. Who gave a damn what Tobias Snape thought, anyway?

"I'll speak to the others on the committee this afternoon," Miss Eustace said as she escorted Severus to the front door. "They should all be at home, so we should be able to get things signed easily enough. I'll expect that I'll be sending the official papers over tomorrow morning."

"That's fine," Severus managed, almost civilly, although he wasn't about to invite her inside. Fortunately, she didn't seem to expect it, Apperating away as soon as the bus was clear.

"Alastor?" Severus called as he entered. "Hello?"

He wandered towards the back of the house. The study had been empty and there had been no sign of dinner started in the kitchen, but Alastor might be working in his room. He didn't usually do that, but it happened sometimes when he had research to do. There was no response when Severus knocked though, and when he cautiously opened the door—Alastor didn't lock it anymore, just in case Severus ever needed to use the Floo—he found it empty. With a frown, he opened the door to his own room and found the note in the same place that he'd left it. So Alastor hadn't come looking for him probably, but he didn't seem to be _here_ either. Where was he?

Severus was heading back towards the sitting room when he realized that the clock on the far wall read just a little after three. Alastor wasn't home yet…he wasn't going to be home for _hours_.

Severus' calm deserted him abruptly. Alastor hadn't even known he'd been gone. _Nobody_ had known, and nobody would ever know, and none of them would even give a damn _anyway_. There was a shattering sound followed by shredding paper…part of him recognized as he slid to the ground that he should probably care about some of that, but right now he just _didn't_. More shattering, tearing, and a new addition—splintering—noises followed, and he curled in on himself as his magic went wild around him. It wasn't _fair_—there wasn't anything wrong with him! He wasn't bad—at least not much more so than anyone else was, anyway—and….

"_Severus?_"

Something grabbed him roughly by the back of the neck, and he started to lash out automatically, only to have his wrist pinned by a much larger hand.

"I can't—unusual—sign of an attack—like that. I think—his."

Severus couldn't quite make sense of the words coming from the far end of the hallway, and he didn't really want to try. Instead, he put his energy into squirming away from whoever was holding him. Why couldn't people just leave him _alone?_

"What?" a gruff voice just to his left demanded.

"Accidental, but—"

More words flew around him without fully registering, but Severus finally recognized Gideon as he leaned over and his red hair caught the light. Recognition of his guardian followed a moment later—Alastor was the one on the floor with him, holding Severus' arms and bracing Severus up against him. He stopped fighting abruptly. "Alastor?"

"Aye." He released Severus slowly and leaned back against the opposite wall. "What's wrong, lad? Are you hurt? Did something happen?"

Severus shrugged and then shook his head fiercely. What was he supposed to do? Complain that his father had done just what they wanted? Severus wasn't going to be going to live with _him_, obviously. Or maybe whine that the idiot from Family Services was finally going to okay Alastor's guardianship? It wasn't as if he could exactly _object_ to the outcome of the day, even if he hadn't much enjoyed everything leading up to it.

Gideon moved from his position leaning over the two of them, going into Severus' room. "Alastor?" he called a moment later. "You know someone named Eustace?"

"Severus?" Alastor tilted his chin up.

Severus shook his head. "It's nothing. She said I can stay."

"It's obviously something more than that. Did she hurt you?"

"No, sir."

"Alastor?" Gideon called again. "Who's Eustace?"

"She's the woman from Wizarding Family Services I was telling you about," Alastor replied over his shoulder.

"Oh." Gideon rejoined them in the hallway. "Here."

Alastor took Severus' note from Gideon, reading it quickly before muttering a few words that Severus was pretty sure he'd get yelled at for using. Even just around Alastor. "What in the bloody _hell_ was she thinking?" Alastor demanded, returning his attention to Severus. "What happened? Did _he_ hurt you?"


	23. AU: What's Wrong with Me?

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the Harry Potter series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed and to Her-My-Oh-Knee for beta'ing. _

_Quick update this time…the last one took awhile because I was on vacation, but the good news is that I had quite a few hours in airports to edit and revise the next couple chapters so the next few updates should be (relatively) quick. Depending on what real life throws at me, of course. Enjoy._

Severus shook his head and then shrugged and hugged his knees. "No. I…nothing happened. It's nothing important. 'm sorry."

"Gideon, can you tell Greg I'm taking the rest of the day off?" Alastor asked. "Don't think we've got anything major that needs to be dealt with except that interview with Ellis, and Longbottom could just as easily go with you."

"I—" Gideon cut off whatever he was going to say. "Of course. Frank could use the field experience anyway. Do you need anything? Either of you?"

Alastor shook his head. "Think we'll be all right. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you sure…?"

"If we need anything, I'll Floo. And if that Eustace woman drops anything off for me, do me a favor and bring it by."

"All right," Gideon agreed, and then there was the sound of receding footsteps.

Alastor waited a few moments and then tilted Severus' chin up. "All right, laddie, let's get this sorted out. Up."

Severus pushed himself to his feet obediently and then had to wait a few moments as Alastor struggled to his feet as well. It wasn't exactly easy for him in the narrow hallway, even with Severus offering an arm.

"Come along."

Severus didn't have the energy to resist as Alastor guided him down the hall. He didn't normally spend much time in Alastor's room except to pass through to use the Floo, but Alastor ignored the fireplace and helped him get settled on the bed against the headboard.

"Here, now."

The rim of a glass was pressed against Severus' lips…the water tasted surprisingly good, and he gulped down almost half the contents of the glass before he even realized what he had done.

"Better?" Alastor asked as he set the cup aside and settled himself a bit more comfortably in front of Severus.

"Yes, sir. Alastor." Severus shook his head, trying to sort out his thoughts. "I didn't mean to make you come home from work early, I swear, I—" Not that he was entirely sure _how_ Alastor had known to come home, but he was pretty bloody certain that it was his fault.

"Never mind that," Alastor interrupted. "What happened that upset you so?"

"Nothing important. Really. I didn't mean to bother—"

"I seem to recall this coming up before. You are not a bother. Now why don't you tell me what happened and let me decide how important things are? There was enough of what I'm assuming was accidental magic flying around here to trip every alarm I've got on the place, and I can't imagine that happening because you stubbed your toe."

Severus flushed.

"Now, your note said that that woman decided to take you off to this Spinner's End place to speak to your father?" Alastor continued.

"Yes, sir."

Alastor shook his head. "You were very good to leave a note, but for the record, you are never to go off like that again without informing me first, you understand? In _person_. There is something of a difference between going for a walk in the neighborhood and heading off on some bus trip Merlin knows where with an all-but-stranger."

"I'm sorry." He'd thought he'd done well with the note part…it just figured that he'd get it wrong.

Alastor squeezed his neck gently. "I'm upset with her, not you. She's supposed to be the expert at this, but even _I_ know you don't go taking a child halfway across a bloody country without speaking to a parent first." He flicked Severus forehead. "You left a note, like you're supposed to when you go out—we just never talked about this particular situation."

Severus nodded and let his grip on the duvet loosen a little. At least until Alastor continued speaking.

"What happened, Severus? Did you get to talk to your da?"

"_She_ did." His father hadn't said a single word directly to him, and Severus in turn hadn't managed get a single word out. Which was probably just as well, really, he had no idea what might have come out of his mouth. Curses, probably. Real ones.

"And?"

"It's honestly not a big deal. He just…he says I don't have to go live with them. That's all."

Severus' attempt at nonchalance fell completely flat, and he wasn't surprised that Alastor's tone turned stern for a moment. "You know full well how I feel about lying, lad. I don't much want to have to repeat that lesson, and I expect you don't either. Look at me."

With some reluctance, Severus did as he was told.

"Now what happened?"

Severus dropped his eyes and picked up one of Alastor's pillows to hug. "He has a new kid, okay? He got remarried and he has a new son. One that he _likes_. And he doesn't want me. Neither of them want me." He tucked his head back to his chest and laughed bitterly. "So I don't want to talk about it any more, all right?"

Alastor sighed and reached up to tilt his chin up again. "If he said that…well, then your da is an idiot, lad."

Severus kept his eyes locked on the pillow, and after a minute Alastor's free hand returned to Severus neck.

"It's not…I don't expect that that makes things any _easier,_ but…."

Severus shook his head and pulled away. "Can I just go lay down?"

Alastor was still for a moment and then nodded and released him. "Aye, I suppose. Do you w—" he cut himself off with a shake of his head. "I'll be right here—you call or come back in if you want company. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Severus slid off the side of the bed and released his grip on Alastor's pillow reluctantly. He more than half wished that Alastor was going to be in the sitting room…then he could lie down on the couch instead of going to his bedroom and being all by himself. Of course, Alastor would probably let him stay _here_ if he asked, but that would just be awkward.

Alastor looked as though he wanted to say something else, but he held his peace as Severus made his way out of the room.

Severus crawled into his own bed and picked up his own pillow to hold. He wasn't…Alastor said his father should want him, and so did that Eustace woman. Granted that she was mostly an idiot, but she worked for the Family Services office so she ought to know _something_. So…why didn't he? Sure, Severus had done accidental magic a couple times back when he lived on Spinner's End, and Tobias most definitely hadn't liked it, but Severus had been a child then! He didn't do that any more. He remembered the sounds of destruction when his magic had run wild earlier and flushed. Well, he _mostly _didn't do that, anyway. It wasn't something that ever completely went away; it just became more controlled as wizards harnessed their powers. It almost never manifested after a wizard came of age, and it wouldn't have happened _today_ if his father hadn't been such an arse. Besides, Alastor hadn't seemed angry so presumably he hadn't destroyed anything particularly important. He should probably get up and double check, but he just didn't feel much like it right now.

Severus rolled onto his back, still hugging his pillow. He hadn't done anything particularly horrible, outside of those magical episodes, when he'd been living at Spinner's End. He'd thrown a few rocks at people's window boxes, got into a fight or two with other children in the area, occasionally took vegetables from another family's allotment…and maybe he'd made a little too much noise and mess now and again when Tobias was drinking, but that wasn't so awful, was it? It was just typical childish behavior.

What was wrong with him? If it had just been his grandparents, or just his father, then maybe he could write off the dismissal, but it wasn't just one person. _No one_ wanted him. That just didn't happen; it had to be something wrong with him that was causing this. It had to be.

He sniffled and rolled back to bury his face down into the duvet before Alastor heard. _Alastor_ didn't seem to mind having him around, but then Alastor was the first to admit that he didn't really know anything about raising children. There were the Weasleys but…well, they were insane. Great, so crazy people and ones who didn't know anything about kids could tolerate him. That was encouraging.

"Severus? Lad, are you hurt?"

Severus tried furiously to scrub his tears away against the cloth, but Alastor caught his shoulder rolled him onto his back before he could erase the traces.

Alastor didn't seem to notice though; his wand flicking in diagnostic patterns for a few long seconds, and then he put it away with a sigh. "Merlin, it looked like a whirlwind blew through the bathroom; I figured you had to have some pretty nasty cuts that I'd somehow overlooked. Look okay though." He winced, apparently taking in Severus' appearance, and then knuckled Severus' forehead lightly. "Well, physically at least, I suppose." There was silence for a minute, and then, "Do you want me to do my paperwork in here instead, maybe? Not much room, but I expect we could manage."

Severus started to shake his head, but he couldn't make himself complete the gesture.

"All right, then. Scoot over. _Accio_ Robertson case file."

Severus curled sideways obediently, letting Alastor settle himself steadily on the edge of the bed and spread out his paperwork.

Alastor patted his shoulder lightly. "Good lad."

"No, I'm not," Severus couldn't help objecting, unclenching one hand from its grip on his pillow to pick at a loose thread.

"Hm? Nonsense."

"No, I'm _not_." His broke the thread with a sharp tug. "There's something wrong with me."

"That's enough of that. You are a perfectly normal fifteen year old wizard."

"Well, if there wasn't anything wrong with me, they wouldn't all hate me, would they? My grandparents, my father…." Severus bit his lip, recalling the angry words. "He called me 'it'."

The sound of papers rustling stopped. "What?"

"He wouldn't even use my _name_." Severus could feel tears welling up again and tried to force them back, but they weren't cooperating. "He called me 'it' like I was a thing instead of a person, and then he said she should throw me in the river. There's something so bloody wrong with me that _no one_ wants me."

"Bloody hell. Look at me, Severus."

Severus shook his head. He didn't care if he was disobeying; he wasn't going to put himself through that right now. Unfortunately, Alastor was far stronger than he was, and he yelped despite himself as he was flipped over and lifted into a sitting position facing Alastor.

"Look at me. You are a good, intelligent lad, and any man ought to be proud to have such a son. Do you understand me? I don't ever want to hear you saying anything different."

"Then why doesn't he want me?" Granted that Severus didn't want to go live with _him_, but….

Alastor sighed. "I don't know, lad. I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't. Frankly, I expect that he really is an idiot. Probably frightened of things he can't understand on top of that; Merlin knows some Muggles are, unfortunately. Wizards too, I suppose. But I don't want you thinking there's anything wrong with you—aye, you got rather royally screwed as far as most of your relatives went, but…." He shook his head. "Your mum loved you, didn't she?"

"Yes." That much, at least, Severus didn't have to think about.

"See, then."

He didn't see, really…one person in four really wasn't so much. And his grandparents didn't exactly hate him because they were afraid of his magic.

Alastor made him look up, his expression stern. "There is _nothing_ wrong with you. Can say that as many times as you need—you are a perfectly good wizard. Do you understand me?"

Severus shook his head and dropped his eyes back to the duvet. Alastor sounded pretty certain of himself, but he just wasn't sure what he was supposed to think right now.

"All right, lad," Alastor relented after a minute of silence. "How about you go ahead and lie down again? Can't imagine a nap will do any harm."

"Yes, sir." It sounded fine to him…certainly better than having to keep thinking about what had happened, anyway.

"_Alastor._" But he shifted to let Severus put his back against his leg and tugged the blanket free to put over Severus' shoulders. "Sleep well."

/

When Severus woke up, the warm weight at his back was gone, although when he rolled completely over he found the mattress still warm and ended up knocking some of Alastor's paperwork over the edge. He probably hadn't been gone long, then, and hopefully would be back soon…Alastor wasn't the fussing sort, but it still felt better to have him around.

A shout caught his attention, and Severus tensed automatically. It didn't seem to be directed at him, though; it sounded like it was coming from Alastor's room. He checked his wand and headed down the hallway cautiously.

"What in the bloody hell am I _supposed_ to tell him?!" Alastor was shouting. "That his da is an idiot? Aye, and I said that, but do you really think it's going to make anything better?"

Severus couldn't hear Miss Eustace's response—at least Severus assumed that was whom Alastor was talking too—from the doorway, but whatever she said, it didn't seem to mollify him.

"Bad enough to haul him off across the country without having the faintest idea what his welcome might be—and I've a word or two to say about taking him away like that in the first place as well—but to stand there and let him say those things? There is no cause for an adult to be speaking to a child like that, and you bloody well ought to know it! Now I've got a lad who wants very much to know what's wrong with him, and damned if I know how to convince him that it's not him who's at fault!"

There was more muttering from the floo.

"Never denied it, and I still don't see the problem if the behavior warrants it, quite honestly, but I've damn well never told him I didn't want him. And I've never called _any_ child a _thing_…I can't see why anyone would!"

"Alastor?" Severus asked quietly. He wasn't sure if he should interrupt, but he didn't really want to hear himself argued about either. Nor did he want Alastor upsetting her so much that she changed her mind about the guardianship.

Alastor twisted, relaxing slightly when he saw Severus. "Did I wake you, lad? I'm sorry."

"You didn't; I heard you afterwards. Is…?"

"Hello, Severus," Miss Eustace greeted through the Floo.

"Hello," he returned, although he couldn't make his tone even marginally friendly. He thought he was doing well to manage the greeting at all.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." As if it really mattered. "Did you talk to the rest of the committee?"

"Yes, I did. The paperwork will be stamped and delivered tomorrow. I just called to inform the two of you."

It was hard to miss the look she gave Alastor at that, even through the distortion of the Floo, but his glare didn't falter.

"I'm going to…start dinner," Severus said, deciding that if she wasn't going to change her mind he'd go ahead and let Alastor shout. He'd like to shout at her too; he just didn't quite dare. "Do you want anything in particular?"

"No, you go ahead and make whatever you'd like. I'll be along in a few minutes."

Severus turned and headed back down the hallway. He was pretty sure they'd picked up chicken at the market a few days ago…baked chicken was one of the few things that Alastor cooked better than he did, but if Alastor was going to help it wouldn't matter. He could start the rice.

He was halfway across the sitting room before he realized that anything was wrong, and even then he probably wouldn't have if he hadn't stumbled across something in the middle of the floor. He waved the lights up—the sky had darkened while he was asleep—and then blanched. He'd been headed in this direction when his magic had gone wild, and he'd heard sounds of destruction, but he hadn't thought…. Merlin, from the look of things he'd nearly ripped the sitting room to bits!

The couch was nearly shredded—one of the arms had been entirely ripped off, and he'd stumbled over the ragged remains of a cushion. One of the two end tables had been sent flying, the glass lamp on top shattered, and the clock…well, it wasn't on the wall anymore. Severus didn't see it anywhere. There were places where things had been slammed against the walls; two books that had been stacked on the second end table between the couch and Alastor's chair were completely shredded….

"Oh, Merlin." He was dead. A two year old throwing a temper tantrum might be tolerated, but he was fifteen years old. Fifteen and a half, even, not so far from sixteen. _Far_ too old for this sort of thing. He'd thought he hadn't caused any real damage when Alastor hadn't said anything—well, he _had _said something about a whirlwind in the bathroom, but Severus couldn't imagine that he was referring to something like this! Then again, Alastor and Gideon had probably come in through the Floo, and then they'd found him back down the hallway a bit…it probably hadn't occurred to either of them to even come in here. Which meant that he was in _big_ trouble when Alastor did see this. Damn it, he tried to tell himself that he wasn't such trouble to have around, and then he went and destroyed a whole bloody room!

He pulled his wand. He could probably do something about the worst of the damage, at least, before Alastor came out. Maybe. "_Reparo._"


	24. AU: Good News

Go the Distance

_In case there was any doubt, I don't own the Harry Potter series or any recognizable characters. But thank you for the compliment._

_Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed, and to Her-My-Oh-Knee for beta'ing._

"_Reparo,_" Severus incanted again. "_Reparo!_" There was an abrupt ripping sound as the last surviving couch cushion tore right down the center, and the tremors in his hand increased. He was supposed to be making things better, and instead he was just…. He shook his head fiercely and tried to steady his hand.

He _still_ hadn't found the clock—although he had an unhappy suspicion about what the wooden splinters embedded in the wall of the study might be—and he'd turned the lamp nearly to dust when he'd tried to piece it back together. Not to mention what he'd just done to the couch. "_Re—_"

"_Finite Incantatem!_"

Alastor's roar overrode Severus' spells, and Severus shoulders went rigid.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you are you _doing_?" Alastor demanded. "I know you're upset, but there is _no_ bloody reason to go destroying the damn room!"

"It's not…I'm not…I wasn't…." He shook his head harder, trying to stem the tears that were welling up. Again. _Why_ couldn't he get something right?

"Severus?"

Alastor reached for him, and Severus flinched back instinctively. He hadn't meant to—he _hadn't_—but….

Alastor froze for a moment and then pulled his hand back. "Calm down, lad, I'm not going to strike you. Just tell me what happened. Can't imagine what the couch did to offend you so."

"I was trying to fix it," Severus whispered miserably. "Really. But I couldn't…I tried '_Reparo_', but it kept making things worse."

"Tried to fix…." Alastor frowned for a moment and then his eyes widened slightly. "Merlin, that whirlwind of yours took out the sitting room too?"

"I didn't mean too do this, honestly. I wouldn't have, ever, I just—" He cut himself off as his voice cracked. Tears were starting to fall again…between the messes he made and the fact that he couldn't seem to stop blubbering like a three year old, he was starting to wonder why anyone ever _would_ want him.

"Enough." Alastor reached out again, this time catching the back of Severus' neck and shaking him gently. "As upset as you are—and justifiably so—a bit of shakiness in your spellcasting is to be expected. Might not want to use your wand too much for the next few days, just to be on the safe side."

Severus nodded, keeping his head down.

"I'll put the room back together later; you needn't worry about it. Let's go see about dinner."

"You're not angry?" Severus asked cautiously.

Alastor snorted. "Well, if you'd done it on purpose, I daresay I'd be shouting a bit, but you've had more than enough provocation today to justify a few broken bits here and there."

"I…." Severus wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to respond to that. Except, "You said 'too'? What else did I demolish?" _Had _Alastor meant he'd done something like this in the bathroom?

"You shattered the bathroom mirror and took out more than half of the lower cabinet," Alastor said with a shake of his head. "Was afraid you'd been close enough to cut yourself to ribbons with the shards, but when you seemed all right I didn't think much more about it. Suppose it was a good thing our bedroom doors were closed, though. The warding spells must have stalled the magic."

Severus didn't know anything about warding spells on his bedroom door, but it made sense that Alastor had set some at some point in the past. He had rather a lot of wards, really. "It's…I think I might have ruined your books." He indicated the pile of paper scraps on the floor with two mostly-destroyed book covers sitting beside it and then attempted a casual swipe at his eyes to clear away the tracks of the few tears that had just fallen.

"Did a number on them, that's certain," Alastor agreed. "Well, we'll see what we can do, but they'll be just fine as they are until after supper. Did you decide what you'd like? Or I suppose we could go out, if you'd rather."

"Baked chicken?" Severus suggested. He didn't really want to deal with any strangers right now. At this rate Merlin knew what he might do to them.

"Aye, I'd say we could manage that."

Severus forced himself to look away from the destruction he'd caused and led the way into the kitchen. That, fortunately, had mostly managed to escape his little episode since the door had been more-or-less shut. Two of the chairs had been knocked over, but other than that, it looked all right. "I'll start the rice."

Alastor dipped his head in acknowledgement, heading for the preserver to get the chicken.

"Is she going to bring the paperwork by tomorrow?"

"She'll drop it off at my desk tomorrow morning. Don't think she'll be bothering you again…well, at least not for a bit."

Severus glanced over cautiously. "You won the argument?"

"Aye, though I can't say that it was so much of an argument. I wasn't in a listening mood."

Severus smirked to himself. Alastor could be frightening when he yelled, and somehow he didn't mind the idea of Miss Eustace being scared in the least.

"For what it's worth—and it isn't much, I'll grant—I don't think she meant to hurt you. The committee did some sort of check, found out that he had another son that he treated well by all accounts, and assumed…."

"That he'd want me." He felt a surge of bitterness sweep through him. If he were someone else, maybe his father would have. "Guess they know better now."

"It's _his_ loss, lad."

Severus muttered something noncommittal and focused all of his attention on the rice. Not that rice actually involved great skill to cook, but at least it kept him from having to maintain a conversation.

/

What kind of idiot went about putting his neighbors in teakettles Severus wasn't quite certain, but it took a special kind of lunacy to come up with something like that. Then again, he supposed that if he had a chance to lock Black and Potter up somewhere he'd take it, no matter how ridiculous it seemed. He set that folder aside and opened up the next one. Alastor's open cases and those that hadn't gone to trial yet were off limits, but the ones that had already had judgments passed on them he had permission to look at. Some were a little disturbing—he didn't _like_ to think of Alastor chasing down those kinds of people, even if he could take care of himself—but others were just so bizarre they were amusing.

He yawned quickly and then went back to reading. He hadn't slept well last night. It shouldn't really have come as a surprise, not after everything that had happened, but by the time it occurred to him to ask Alastor for something to help him sleep it had been so late that he hadn't wanted to disturb his guardian.

Alastor had offered to stay home with him today, but he already felt bad enough about everything that had happened without making Alastor miss work on top of it all. Though he hadn't exactly been unwilling when Alastor had asked if he wanted to come along to the Ministry. Granted that there wasn't a whole lot for him to do here with Alastor out working on a new case, not unless he wanted to go ask the house elves for work, anyway, but he hadn't really wanted to stay at home by himself. Besides, he'd brought a book so it wasn't as though he had _nothing_ to do.

"Severus? What are you doing here?"

Severus turned sideways—Alastor wasn't one to put his back to an entrance, even in his own cubicle in Auror headquarters—and found Fabian looking at him in surprise. "I…." He flushed. What was he supposed to say? That he was too scared to stay in an empty house? Well, maybe not _scared_, he just…he didn't want to be alone right now. Either way, it sounded stupid enough in his head that he didn't want to have to admit it out loud.

Fabian didn't wait for an answer, though. "Well, saves me a trip to your place. Do you remember when I asked if you'd mind demonstrating that spell of yours for someone else?"

"Yes."

"I've got a friend who works for Perpignan Publishing in France, and every year they publish a collection of new spells by underage witches and wizards. Been doing it for nearly a century now. Anyway, he'd be interested in putting yours in, if you'd like."

"Really?" It was just something he'd come up when he was trying to figure out how to get the upper hand with those idiot Marauders, not anything really spectacular.

"Certainly. Mind, this isn't a major publication—perhaps a few thousand copies total—but they do credit you with the invention and even pay you a little. It tends to be a pretty wide range of spells, everything from homework-helpers to new jinxes. Mum was in one edition back when she was a fifth or sixth year for a new hex she came up with. I take it that you're interested?"

"Yes!" Granted that it wasn't an article in a famous Potions or Defense journal or anything like that, but being published while he was still in school was still pretty impressive. "I've never heard of that, though, a book specifically with spells by underage wizards."

"They don't advertise it at Hogwarts. They never did, at least not that I can remember. Not sure why—offhand I'd guess that they're probably afraid of what all the students would do to each other in the name of testing. And, like I said, it's not a major publication so it's quite possible that most of the staff just don't know about it. Still, at least at Beauxbatons there's a fair amount of prestige for those who get in, and as much emphasis as Durmstrang puts on competition, I can't imagine them not submitting spells so it's not as though the book is empty by any stretch of the imagination."

Severus nodded. Fabian was probably right about why no one at Hogwarts ever said anything—well, the part about what the students would do to each other, at least. As to the rest…as far as he could tell the professors were all pretty oblivious to what went on around them outside of classes so who knew how much they actually knew.

"Well, I'll let him know that you're interested, then, and he'll owl you the paperwork. Some of it you'll need Alastor to sign since you are underage, but I doubt that will be an issue."

"Thank you."

Fabian waved it off. "I have to get out to Puddlemere for a meeting, but if you haven't heard from him before you go back to school, let me know."

He disappeared around a corner before it occurred to Severus to ask just what this man's name was, but…well, it wasn't as though there was going to be a line of wizards owling him about publishing one of his spells. He couldn't help bouncing in his seat a little. He was fifteen years old and he was going to get published in an actual _book_.

"Severus?"

His excitement deserted him abruptly as he looked up again and this time found Miss Eustace standing at the entrance of the cubicle. Calling on every bit of self-control he had, he managed a fairly calm, "May I help you?"

"I'd actually just come to drop your paperwork off with Auror Moody. Is he around?"

Oh. That's right; she was supposed to deliver the guardianship papers today. "He's out on a case. You can leave it here, though."

She hesitated for a moment and then set a paper-wrapped parcel down on the desk. "I…about yesterday—"

"I'm fine, and I _don't_ want to talk about it," Severus interrupted. Bad enough that he'd lost control and let accidental magic tear apart a fair portion of the house and then proceeded to make things even worse with screwy directed magic; he had _no_ desire to find out what would happen if she brought the whole subject back up again in the middle of the bloody Ministry of Magic.

She looked like she wanted to object but eventually gave in with a slight sigh. "All right, but if you ever feel the need…."

Severus kept his face blank. It was easier than it might have been—he was torn between the desire to snarl at her for being an idiot and the desire to laugh in her face for the same reason. If he ever felt the need…yeah, right.

"Tell Auror Moody that if he has any questions, he should contact me," she said after a moment.

"Yes, ma'am."

When she finally left, he considered the parcel. There hadn't been anywhere near that much paper in the stuff that he and Alastor had had to sign, and why it would have multiplied in the meantime he had no idea. Merlin, it was large enough that she could have included a book. He considered for a moment, took a glance around to make sure no one was paying him any particular attention, and then peeled open a corner carefully. She might have been dropping them off for Alastor, but they were _his_ guardianship papers, after all.

He frowned as he peered in. Okay, so she had sent a book. Two, actually, although the one on top was fairly slim. There was a small stack of parchments on top of it that was probably the actual signed paperwork, but why Alastor would need books to go with it…. Granted that the language was ridiculously archaic, but it wasn't _that_ bad.

He peeled the paper back a little further and then groaned. He couldn't make out the title of the smaller volume, but the one on the bottom was entitled _Raising a Young Wizard in Modern Society_.

Uneven footsteps caught his attention, and he pushed the paper back into place and turned back to the case folders quickly.

"Find anything interesting, lad?" Alastor asked.

"Did he really put his neighbor in a teakettle?"

"Hmm? Oh, McTavish. Afraid so—poor man was a Muggle; it scared him half out of his wits." He shook his head and then indicated the parcel with a frown. "What's this?"

"Miss Eustace dropped it off. She said it was the guardianship papers."

"Ah. Well, Gideon is holding a table for us down in one of the cafes in Diagon Alley, so why don't we go join him for lunch? Was going to grab Fabian and Caradoc too, if they were around, but I haven't seen them."

"I don't know about Caradoc, but Fabian said something about a meeting in Puddlemere."

"Ah. Suppose that nixes that idea. Still, you and I ought to be going before Gideon decides to start lunch alone."

Severus gave a quick nod and then put the folders back in the drawer he'd pulled them out of and followed Alastor towards the lifts.

/

"Fi—bloody—Finite—damn it—stop—_Gideon!_"

Gideon cancelled his hex with a flick of his wand and turned to Severus with a smile. "Effective, don't you think?"

"Have you lost your ruddy mind?" Alastor demanded, lowering his arms. He'd been trying to wave the creatures away, but it hadn't worked particularly well. "And you—this is not funny!"

Severus tried—albeit not particularly hard—to choke off his laughter as one last bat circled Alastor's head and then flew off into the distance. They'd managed to get a table off in the corner of the patio so Gideon's little demonstration hadn't disturbed anyone unduly, at least, although there was an odd look or two being tossed in their direction. Well, one Auror hexing another at lunch probably wasn't a typical occurrence.

"At least this lad came up with something reasonably useful," Alastor said with a nod in Severus direction. "But a _bat-bogey _hex?"

"I'll have you know that Mum was very proud of that hex. And Molly had a real knack for it as well."

"Bloody lunatics, the lot of you."

Severus finally managed to stop laughing. "S-sorry." It was courtesy more than anything; that had been _hilarious_. Miss Eustace's visit had driven all thought of Fabian's news out of his head, but he'd remembered again halfway through lunch and hadn't been able to keep from telling Alastor and Gideon. Their praise had made him squirm a little, but then Gideon had brought up the same thing Fabian had about their mother being published back when she was in school for a hex she'd invented. Then Gideon had gone and demonstrated said hex on Alastor. Without any sort of warning.

Personally, Severus thought he was lucky that Alastor had realized where the hex had come from before he retaliated—he'd had his wand in his hand and pointed without even conscious thought, as far as Severus had been able to tell. Of course, the pause of recognition had given the bats an opening, and…well, Severus couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed that hard.

"Just be glad I used the mild version," Gideon said as he tucked his wand back into his robes.

"Just be glad I don't feel like breaking in a new partner," Alastor returned with a growl. "And as for you…."

The tensing was almost automatic, but Alastor only flicked his forehead lightly. "You are not to cause animals of any sort to emerge from any of your classmate's bodies, is that understood?"

"Just _once,_ maybe?" He would _love_ to do that to Potter one day when the idiot started making ridiculous boasts about his accomplishments. Alastor glared, and he sighed. "All right."

Alastor pushed away the plate in front of him. "Well, if you two are both finished, I suppose we'd best get back to headquarters. Probably had half a dozen cases dropped in our laps while we've been relaxing."

Severus nodded, pushing his plate away as well and standing. He'd just taken a step towards Alastor—they would Apperate back to the Ministry, so he had to go side-along—when a flash of blond caught his eye. He turned towards it without thinking, meeting cold grey eyes for a fraction of a second before Lucius Malfoy disappeared into the crowd.

"Severus?" Alastor asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I…no. I'm ready to go."


	25. AU: On the train

_Yes, I'm still here…real life got very busy very quickly, but I'll try and start updating more regularly again. Thank you to everyone who has read the story and is still interested in it._

////////////////////////////////

"Severus? Are you still awake?"

Severus twisted to look at Alastor, standing in the doorway. "Yes."

"You feeling all right? It's awfully early for you to be in bed." He moved to sit on the edge of the mattress, resting a callused palm on Severus' forehead for a moment.

"I'm fine."

"Looking forward to going back to school tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir." One hand, hidden under his pillow, tightened on the sheets, but what else was he supposed to say? That he'd much rather stay at Alastor's and not deal with the Marauders and his housemates—at least some of whom he knew kept in contact with Malfoy and were probably not going to be pleased with him—and professors and everything else? It wasn't like it would make any difference anyway; he couldn't _not_ go back to school.

At least he'd managed to break his strange desire to follow Alastor around all the time...it had been over a week since the mess with his father, and he'd _finally _managed to calm down enough to behave like a normal person.

"Lad?" A knuckle hooked his chin and turned his head slightly.

"It's nothing. I guess I'm just tired."

"Aye, I suppose that's fair enough. How about we go an hour or two early tomorrow to Diagon Alley and have a bite to eat before you got on the train? Either an early lunch or a late breakfast, depending on your preference."

Severus nodded slightly. "You don't have to come, though…I know where the train station is."

"I expect that you do, but it's not as though I have anything else planned. You certain that you have everything packed? All your books and such?"

"Yeah." Severus ducked his head slightly. "And a few of yours."

Alastor chuckled and patted his shoulder. "I'd be surprised if you didn't. All right, then, I ought to let you get to sleep." He tugged the blanket up a bit further around Severus' shoulders and then pushed himself to his feet again, tucking his crutch back under his arm.

"Alastor?"

"Hm?"

"Could you maybe put an extra set of wards on Aberdeen's cage, on top of mine? Just to make sure only I can get to her?"

"If you'd like."

He was studying Severus intently now, and Severus did his best to look casual. "It's just that a couple of my roommates have owls, and I don't want her to accidentally be lunch." He wasn't entirely sure that Alastor believed him—for good reason, since it was neither their owls nor accidents that he was worried about—but after a moment, Alastor nodded.

"You remind me tomorrow morning, and I'll show you a new set then, all right?"

"Yes, sir."

"_Alastor_."

Severus managed a real smile as Alastor leaned over and rapped a knuckle against the bridge of his nose lightly. "Yes, sir."

////////////////////////////////

Platform 9 and ¾ was as crowded as ever. There were students hauling trunks along towards the train, parents hugging and fussing and calling goodbyes, familiars letting their displeasure at being confined to cages be known, and all manner of more unidentifiable sounds, all blending together. It was giving Severus a headache and he'd only been there for two minutes.

"Severus?"

He turned quickly at the female voice that somehow managed to be heard over the din, giving the approaching figure a quick smile. "Hello, Lily."

"I wasn't sure it was you; you've gotten taller over the summer."

She hugged him, and he flushed and tensed automatically. Which, he was fairly certain, was _not_ the appropriate reaction to being hugged by a pretty girl.

Still smiling, she released him and took a couple steps back. "You're looking well."

"Uh…you too." She giggled, and he felt his flush deepen. He just wasn't any _good_ at this type of social interaction.

"I've already put my things on the train, but I didn't want to sit in the compartment by myself. Are your things already onboard?"

"I…no." He turned slightly, indicating the trunk floating along beside Alastor, and suddenly remembered his manners. For some reason that sort of thing always escaped him when she was around. "Uh, Lily, this is Alastor Moody; Alastor, my friend Lily Evans."

Alastor's eyes had been focused on someone at the other end of the platform, but he returned his attention to Severus when he spoke and then bowed slightly to Lily. "Pleasure to meet you."

She gave Severus a quick glance before smiling up at Alastor. "It's nice to meet you too, sir."

"Think you'd best be getting yourselves onto the train," Alastor said indicating the engine, which had begun to steam in preparation for pulling out of the station. "Oh, Severus," he dug around in his pocket and then pressed a few coins into Severus' hand. "No doubt you'll get hungry again on the train. You're to owl if you need anything, understand?"

"I will."

"Or if you don't, for that matter."

Severus nodded and grabbed the handle of his trunk when Alastor lowered it to the floor, resettling the pack looped over his shoulder that held Aberdeen's cage so it wouldn't get swung about too much. However much he didn't really want to do this, it was time to go.

Alastor shifted awkwardly. "I suppose I'll see you at the holidays, then, unless you make other plans with your friends."

"I won't." After all, he didn't exactly have the kind of friends you made those sorts of plans _with_. "I'll see you at Christmas."

"All right." Alastor gripped the back of Severus' neck lightly and then released him. "Have a good trip. And whatever Gideon and Fabian told you, you make sure you don't get up to _too_ much mischief."

Severus gave him a quick smile. "Yes, sir." And then the conductor was calling all-aboard, and he tugged his trunk towards the nearest door. He allowed Lily to precede him up the steps before dragging his trunk onto the train, giving Alastor one last quick glance before the doors shut.

"Who is he?" Lily asked as they turned into a compartment, her trunks already neatly stowed.

Severus shut the door tightly behind them in hopes that they wouldn't have to share the compartment with anyone else, but he didn't have much hope that it would actually happen. Then again, they had been among the last on, so maybe….

"I mean, I know I've seen robes like that before," Lily continued, "but I can't remember where. Some kind of uniform…."

"Wh—you mean Alastor?" Severus debated trying to lift his trunk onto the storage shelf and then decided it was a bad idea and just shoved it under the bench, swinging his pack around to hold on his lap for the trip. "They're Aurors robes." Of course, since Lily lived her life outside of school in the Muggle world, it wasn't really a surprise that she didn't know that. Especially considering the quality of the Defense professors they'd had.

"He's an Auror?" She frowned and settled herself on the bench across from him. "Um…okay."

"What's wrong with that?" Well, he knew what most of his _housemates_ would probably think was wrong with that, but he hadn't expected to hear the same thing from Lily.

"Nothing's wrong with it, but I know Moody isn't your grandfather's name, and he's definitely not your father, so why would you spend Christmas with him?"

"It's…he's my guardian now." Severus had no real desire to reiterate the events of this past summer, even to her. Or maybe _especially_ not to her. "It's complicated."

"He doesn't seem very friendly."

"What?"

"I mean, he looked kind of mean for a minute."

Severus stared. Sure Alastor could be stern sometimes, especially when somebody—say, for example, Severus—had done something wrong, and although it had been awhile since Severus had thought about it, his appearance at first glance was kind of intimidating, but _mean?_ "He's not."

Lily shrugged. "If you say so."

Severus shook his head and decided to change the subject. "How was your summer?"

"Oh, all right, I guess. We went to France for a couple weeks in July; that was fun. Petunia has this new boyfriend, though, and for the whole summer—the whole _entire_ summer—all you could get out of her was 'Vernon Dursley says this' and 'Vernon Dursley did that' and 'I bet Vernon Dursley would think you're a freak too.'"

"You aren't a freak," Severus interrupted immediately.

"Well, of course I'm not, but the point is that by the time Dad was putting my things in the car to take to the train station, I was ready to hex her and this Vernon Dursley—who I still haven't actually met, so for all I know he might just be a figment of my sister's twisted imagination—senseless, and Azkaban be damned. You are so lucky you don't have any siblings."

Severus shrugged. He'd never thought much about siblings…he'd always been fairly certain that _he_ hadn't really been supposed to happen, never mind anyone else.

"Fortunately for me Vernon Dursley is going off to university this year—a very prestigious, university, of course, because he has _such_ a brilliant mind—so hopefully I won't have to hear about him anymore. Doesn't solve the problem of Petunia, but…." She waved her hand. "You know how it goes." She shifted around to sit sideways on the bench, pulling her feet up on the seat. "I want to hear more about this man you're staying with. Is he an uncle or something? There has to be _some_ reason you'd go live with him."

"It's…." Severus shook his head, editing the full explanation furiously. "I just couldn't take living with my grandparents anymore, not with Mum gone."

Lily made an appropriately sympathetic sound. "How are you doing? I mean, it hasn't really been that long since…."

He wanted to discuss his mother even less than his living situation, so he simply shrugged. "I'm doing all right, I guess. Anyway, after I left my grandparents' estate, I stayed in…Diagon…Alley for a bit—" he didn't have any illusions about how Lily would take the news that he had lived down Knockturn, no matter what his reasoning had been at the time—"and then sort of ran into Alastor and his partner one day." He shrugged again. "It was just supposed to be a temporary arrangement, at least at first, but it turned out that we got along pretty well, and a couple weeks ago he offered to be my guardian permanently. Or at least until I come of age."

"I guess that's good. I mean, as long as you like him and everything." She still didn't look convinced, but then she really didn't know Alastor.

"Snacks, anyone?" the woman pushing the tea trolley asked, opening the door to their compartment.

"Uh, not right now," Lily declined after a glance at Severus. "But later."

Severus nodded in agreement, the coins from Alastor tucked safely in his pocket. He probably would get hungry before the train arrived at Hogwarts…despite the fact that Alastor had let him order apple pie for his early lunch rather than an actual meal, he hadn't really managed to eat very much of it.

"You decided not to get an owl?" he asked as the woman shut the compartment door and pushed her trolley onwards.

"No. I mean, I wanted to, but there's really no way to keep an owl in Spinner's End without the neighbors getting curious. Not if I'm going to let it out to hunt and everything instead of just keeping it locked in my room during the summer, anyway. Mum and Dad were talking about getting me a cat for my birthday instead, but then Petunia all of a sudden started sniffling and sneezing and stuff whenever one of the neighborhood cats got close. It's complete nonsense of course—she certainly never had any problems _before_ Mum mentioned it—but…." Lily shrugged. "I guess I can wait a year or two until she's gone; I know I'd much rather a cat than a rat or a toad."

"I don't know." Severus unhooked the clasps on his pack and opened it enough to draw Aberdeen's cage out. "Rats aren't so bad. This is Aberdeen."

"That's a mouse, not a rat," Lily pointed out.

He shrugged. "I know, but…close enough." At least to pass the Hogwarts strictures on familiars, anyway.

"When did you get it—him?"

"Her. I transfigured her from a paperweight this past summer. Alastor helped me get the spell right." He pressed his fingertip against the cage and let Aberdeen sniff at it for a few minutes but didn't take her out. The last thing he wanted was for her to get loose on the train; although to be fair she didn't seem to be taking the trip badly thus far.

Lily made no attempt to touch her, although she did smile. "That's great. You should show Professor McGonagall."

"Maybe." But the Transfiguration professor didn't like him much _already_, and since he wasn't entirely sure that he would be able to repeat the spell a second time, he probably wouldn't. There was no sense setting himself up for failure.

"You'd decided to drop Divination, right? I know you were talking about it last year."

"Definitely. You too?"

"No. I was going to—I mean, it's a pretty pointless class—but I just can't bring myself to drop it now, so close to OWLs, and have wasted two whole years of imaginary prophecies." She shifted around slightly. "I don't think I'm going to keep Ancient Runes, though."

"What? Why not?" Ancient Runes was the only class they would have together without one of the Brainless Bunch being in the room as well. Lupin was taking Arithmancy—and was tolerable decent at it, damn him—and Potter and Pettigrew had both been in Divination. Severus wasn't sure what electives Black was taking—probably Idiocy for Dummies and Advanced Skiving—but considering the amount of harassment that occurred during the standard classes, he couldn't bring himself to care, either.

Lily shuffled her feet a little more. "It's just...it takes so much time. When we first started doing it, it was kind of fun, but now its just hours of sitting in the library pouring over a bunch of old dictionaries. I'd rather be out _doing_ something. Besides, after I leave school, I want to do Charms work, not stare at old stones all day. I feel bad about it—kind of like Divination, I've put in so much work it seems a shame to drop it now—but it does take the most time, and with OWLs coming up…."

"Oh." There wasn't really much else that he could say, after all. It was true about how Ancient Runes homework seemed to go. Of course, _he_ hadn't minded spending all those hours in the library last year with her. "You're probably right; this way you'll have more time to focus on the classes that you really care about. And Divination, which just requires creative lying."

"Yeah. Besides, since we're each dropping one class, we'll have a little more free time to get together and sort through new ideas for Potions. Speaking of…." She opened one of her trunks and pulled out a book. "What did you think of question four on the summer assignment. I don't think the boomslang skin should be added to the mixture until you've done _four_ counterclockwise stirs, but according to our book…."

////////////////////////////////

Severus sat back, popping the muscles in his neck. Lily had been right about the summer assignment problem, but they'd had to dig through to the bottom of her trunk to find last years Potions book to confirm it. And then they'd spent the last few hours looking through the rest of the questions, just to check them over. Their new book had been wrong in at least one other place that they'd found, making him wonder just how many potions would have 'minor alterations' written on the board when Slughorn actually decided to allow the class to actually make them. Really, they sold these books as manuals for people intending to brew their own potions, surely a bit of proofreading wouldn't have been too much trouble.

"Hungry yet, dears?" the witch with the tea trolley asked, opening the compartment door a second time.

"Could I have…um, just a minute, please?" Severus dug around in his pocket, pulling out his coins and calculating quickly. "Could I have a chocolate frog and a box of Every Flavor Beans? Lily, do you want anything?"

"Oh, I've got a few Galleons here—"

"It's all right, Alastor gave me some extra, remember?"

"Are you're sure? Well, then, I guess I'd like a chocolate frog too, please. Thank you. And thanks, Severus."

"You're welcome." This was the first time that he'd been able to treat her on the train; Mum hadn't had any money of her own to give him, and his grandparents hadn't been wiling to part with Galleons for 'frivolities' like snacks. Especially for him, and despite the fact that they'd had plenty to spare.

She closed the compartment door on her way past, but it didn't latch, and Severus was reaching out to shut it again when its swing suddenly became much more forceful.

"There you are, Evans, we weren't sure you'd made the train." Potter stuck his head and smiled at Lily, and then his lip curled when he saw Severus sitting across from her. "You didn't need to share a compartment with _him_; we would have made room for you."

"I'm fine where I am, Potter," Lily returned.

"Yes, why don't you and your friends go back to discovering fire, or whatever it is you do for fun," Severus suggested.

"No one was talking to you, Snivellus," Black sneered from over Potter's shoulder. "Your daddy's not here to help you this time."

Severus stared for a moment, trying to figure out when Black would even have met Tobias Snape, and then remembered the fight in the bookstore that Alastor had interrupted. It was weird to think that Black actually thought Alastor was his father, but then again, the two of them hadn't exactly sat down and exchanged family histories, so maybe it wasn't such a stretch. "As I recall, I was handling things just fine on my own."

Black started to shoulder past Potter. "Yeah, well—"

"Enough, all of you," Lily snapped, standing to get between Severus and the new arrivals. "Potter, Black, go bother someone else. We're having a conversation here."

Potter shook his head. "He's a Slyther—"

"And you're an idiot," she interrupted sharply.

Potter looked rather crestfallen at that, much to Severus' private delight, and then Lily slammed the compartment door in their faces and dropped back into her seat, crossing her arms across her chest. "I hate it when they get like that."

Severus just hated them in general, but he had more sense than to say that out loud. At least to her.

"And I really wish that you wouldn't bait them," she continued, shifting her glare to him. "This whole stupid fight between all of you would just _go away_ if one side would stop escalating things."

Severus snorted. Even for Lily, he wasn't going to stake himself out like some kind of warped sacrificial lamb, and that's exactly what he'd be if he didn't stand up for himself when the Moronic Marauders came hunting.

"Well, I heard that Lupin's a prefect this year. Maybe _he_ can make them see sense."

It took a moment for Severus to fully process that statement, after which he bit back a curse only by great force of will. Lupin had _no_ chance of making those two idiots see sense—he barely had any himself. No doubt he'd just use his new status to help them make life even more miserable for Severus, because things just hadn't been bad enough before.

He pulled open the packaging on his chocolate frog savagely and then swore audibly as it made a giant leap onto the top of his head and then a second right out the window. Life was just not _fair_.


	26. AU: Settling In

_Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this (and new people picking it up). A couple months ago I was drafted for technical writing at work, and right now the idea of going home and typing more is just not that attractive. I'm not giving up on the story, but updates will be slow until I get back to my actual job._

////////////////////////////////

Severus flipped the page and tried not to groan. How many variations on 'square with three dots' could there possibly be? He didn't remember Ancient Runes being such a pain last year.

He sighed. Of course that was probably because _last year_ he'd been able to count on a certain red-haired study partner sitting just across the table working on these stupid homework problems _with_ him. Now Lily was off somewhere else…probably up in the Gryffindor common room smiling and laughing and having fun. Not that he would be allowed to join her anywhere outside the sanctuary of the library—both his housemates and hers would see to that—but he still couldn't help wishing.

"Ten minutes," the librarian announced, and this time he did groan. He'd managed to get the vast majority of his Ancient Runes assignment done, at least, but a Transfiguration paper was waiting for him on his bed, and he wasn't looking forward to starting it.

Nor, in general, was he looking forward to getting back to his room. Thus far his reception from his housemates had been merely cool, and any other year he wouldn't have thought anything about it. He'd never been the outgoing sort—more accustomed to acquaintances than friends—but after seeing Malfoy in Diagon Alley he was paying more attention than he normally would. Under certain cool exteriors, he could _definitely_ sense a quiet undertone of ugliness.

He shook his head and tapped the end of his quill on the tabletop lightly. He didn't get that feeling from _all_ of his housemates, of course, in truth not even from the majority of them, but the ones who weren't directly involved were far more likely to stand back and analyze events as they unfolded rather than directly involving themselves in the situation. Especially by supporting Severus, not unless he could find a way to offer them something tangible in return. Whatever sort of…magnetism…people like Malfoy had for attracting others to them and their causes with nothing but a few words, Severus had a distinct _lack_ of it.

He flipped the page again. Ah. That was it. He copied down the definition quickly and then began to organize his parchments so he could make it back to his room by curfew. Somehow he'd managed to stay out of trouble since he'd gotten back to school…granted that he'd only been back for a couple weeks, but at least Alastor hadn't had a report of misbehavior waiting for him within twenty-four hours of seeing Severus off. Not that Severus had any illusions that that trend would continue—the Brainless Bunch would see to that—but he would enjoy the peace while it lasted.

By habit he stayed in the shadows as he took the stairs down to the Slytherin entrance…for one it made him less noticeable, less of a target unless someone was looking specifically for him, and for another it made it far easier to accidentally overhear what his classmates might be up to. Not that he'd necessarily _use_ that knowledge, but more information was always better than less.

Evan sneered at him as he entered, but Severus ignored it. Rosier was one of the few students who had been outright hostile to him since he'd returned—Severus wasn't entirely certain _why_, especially since they had been a casual sort of friends before—but so far no explanation had been forthcoming. As long as he didn't do anything overt, all that Severus could do was wait and try to avoid antagonizing him further.

////////////////////////////////

Mail came, as usual, during breakfast, and Severus was surprised when an owl—a big one—dropped a package almost directly on his head. Sure, Mum had sent him letters sometimes, and treats, but why would _Alastor_…? Of course, there was no guarantee that it was from Alastor, but the idea of anyone else sending him packages was even more ludicrous. Well, Malfoy might send him something unpleasant, but he wouldn't be idiotic enough to have such a package delivered to the Great Hall.

The bird circled to land on the back of his chair, clacking its beak sharply, and he shook his head and grabbed a bit of meat off the nearest platter to offer it.

When it finally flew off, satisfied, he drew his wand and tapped the string holding the box shut, releasing it and allowing him to lift the top off. There was a book inside with a note on top, and he opened it quickly.

_Hello, lad,_

_Expect you've been busy settling into classes and such, but knowing you you've probably finished most of those books you took with you, too. Sending a new one along you might find interesting. There's some paperwork in the back from Fabian that you need to fill out and owl off to France to get that spell of yours in the book. I think I've already signed in all the appropriate places, but if I've missed anything just owl it back. Hope your classes are going well, and you're to let me know if you need anything._

_Alastor_

Severus stared at the note for a few long minutes and then folded it and tucked it into his robes before lifting the book out. It was obviously not new; the bindings were faded, the corners of several pages were dog-eared and torn, and most of the lettering had worn off the cover. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though…Mum had shown him back when they were still living in Spinners End that sometimes the most interesting books came out of the used book shop. He traced the remaining letters lightly. Of course, back then money for even used books had been rare, but even so he still had good memories of sitting and reading with her.

He flipped open the cover to the first page, pleased to find that it was a companion to a book on Asian dark arts and defenses in earlier centuries that he'd read over the summer. He'd thought that the book was part of a series at the time, but he hadn't seen anything else by that author on any of Alastor's bookshelves. There was a handwritten note on the inside of the cover; apparently the book had originally been a gift to Alastor upon his acceptance into the Aurors' program from someone named Adrian.

There was some commotion around him as other students began to rise from the table, but he was in no particular hurry. Who would be, with History of Magic as their first class?

One of the professors cleared his throat—Severus wasn't sure which; he was already several pages into the first chapter and the sound didn't register until after whoever it was had already left the room—and he looked up to find the room all but empty. And as long as he'd managed to stay out of trouble this far, he might as well not mess it up by being late for class.

He remembered two steps from the classroom door that he'd broken his quill in Transfiguration yesterday and hadn't put a new one in his bag, and with a muttered curse he made an abrupt turn and headed back for the dungeons. He made it back to the main level before the bell started to ring, and he picked up his pace in the hopes that Binns wouldn't manage to rouse himself from his usual stupor before he arrived.

He was almost there—_almost_—when his foot caught on something and he went sprawling on the floor of the corridor, his bag falling off his shoulder. He was just starting to hope that no one had seen that particular maneuver when obnoxious laughter from behind him made him realize that his 'accident' hadn't been anything of the sort.

Someone darted past him and grabbed his bag as he was pushing himself to his feet, and he dropped his wand into his hand. "Give it _back_."

Pettigrew sneered. "Why, what have you got in here? Anything good?"

Severus started to raise his wand when something slammed into the center of his back and knocked him down again. He whirled, but Black was prepared with an _Expelliarmus_, and his wand skittered away across the floor towards Pettigrew.

"Hey, look at this." Severus turned again to see Pettigrew pulling his new book out of his bag.

"Put that down!"

Pettigrew grinned. "Sirius, catch!"

Severus shoved himself up from the floor and slammed into Pettigrew, knocking the other wizard to the floor. Both his bag and the book went flying—the bag went further down the hall, but the book, unfortunately, landed in Black's hands.

Pettigrew pushed himself backwards along the floor, whining something about his ankle, but Severus didn't pay him any attention as he snatched his wand up off the ground and stood to face Black. "That's _mine_."

Black didn't show any inclination to give it back, but that was hardly a surprise. At least neither Potter nor Lupin seemed to be around…it was hard to say with Potter, but whatever Lupin's other faults might be he wasn't really the sort to cut class. Two on one, with neither of the two being mental giants, wasn't such bad odds.

Black flipped through the pages carelessly. "Why would you want this old thing? I mean…." He shifted his grip to one of the covers and shook it, and the binding started to tear even as the paperwork Alastor had sent fell to the floor.

"Give it back you—!" His wand flicked, and Black was hit by the bat bogey hex Gideon had shown him, as much strength as Severus could muster behind it.

Black dropped the book with a surprised howl, batting at the creatures as they dove at his head.

A stinging hex struck Severus arm from behind—apparently Pettigrew had gotten over whatever Severus had done to his ankle—and he was turning to respond when a firm, '_Finite Incantatum_' made him freeze in place.

"And just what is going on here?" Dumbledore asked in that annoyingly even tone he had. "Fighting in the halls? And when all three of you should be in class, no less."

"We were on our way to class when he attacked us!" Pettigrew declared. "Look, I twisted my ankle."

"I did not! You tripped me and took my bag and ripped my book!"

"Liar!" Black swiped at his face, leaving streaks of blood behind where the bats had managed to scratch him before Dumbledore's spell had dismissed them. That hadn't happened when Gideon had demonstrated it, but then he hadn't used much power, either. "You were the one running! Just because you went head over heels doesn't mean _we_ did anything."

"Oh, right, and you just _happened_ to be th—"

"That's enough, all of you" Professor Dumbledore interrupted. He stared at Black's face for a moment and then turned a frown on Severus. "Where did you learn that hex?"

"From a friend of mine." He wasn't going to volunteer just who, and he really hoped no one outside Hogwarts was ever going to hear about him using it, especially since he'd told Alastor he wouldn't. He hadn't meant to disobey, but those idiots just made him so _angry_.

Dumbledore's frown deepened at his evasive answer, but he addressed Black and Pettigrew first. "Five points from Gryffindor for each of you for fighting in the halls. Now go to the infirmary and get those scratches—and that ankle—looked at. And I expect you to be in the rest of your classes today."

Black had time for one last sneer at Severus, and then he looped one of Pettigrew's arms over his shoulder and assisted his housemate down the hall as though the other boy's ankle was broken as opposed to, at most, bruised. Theatrical idiot.

"Ten points from Slytherin for attacking a classmate," Dumbledore said, returning his attention to Severus. "And you can serve a detention with Filch this evening."

"I didn't attack them!" Severus snapped in return. "I was walking down the hall and then one of them tripped me and Pettigrew took my bag and Black ripped my present!"

"If I understood your shouting earlier, you didn't actually _see_ either of them trip you, you just assumed that one of them did it. I've had more than enough of this absurd quarrel between the five of you."

"So _I_ get penalized, of course. And it doesn't matter that they took my present and tore it and scattered the rest of my stuff all over the hall."

"That's enough," Dumbledore said, his voice hardening. "They've both lost points."

"And I lost just as many as the both of them combined, plus I get a detention."

"I said that's _enough_, unless you want a second detention. Now collect your things and go to class."

Severus glared after him as he swept off down the hallway. Why he even bothered to defend himself he didn't know. Dumbledore was always going to believe his Gryffindor golden boys no matter what anyone else said. Or what basic logic dictated. He collected his papers slowly, no longer in any hurry to get to class. A flick of his wand repaired the cover of his book—fortunately it hadn't ripped all the way down—and he headed down the hallway towards History of Magic. And the day had started off so well, too.

////////////////////////////////

"Severus, honestly, would you _please_ stop picking fights with them?" Lily asked, setting her bag down on the floor and shutting the door to the Potions' classroom.

Severus set the paring knife down on the countertop carefully and counted to ten. His feud with the Mauraders had begun to escalate again since the incident in the corridor two weeks ago, and he'd known that it was only a matter of time before she said something. He just wished that it hadn't been _that_.

He tried not to sigh. He knew that she spent the majority of her time with her housemates and was pretty much guaranteed to here the Marauders' side of any story first—that had been true since they'd started at Hogwarts—but it still bothered him when she came in on their side first for almost any incident that she hadn't personally observed. She knew what they were like, and she should know as well as anyone that just because people said something didn't automatically make it true. "I _don't_ pick fights with them. What kind of idiot goes around picking fights with four others, most of whom are bigger than him?"

She frowned. "But Marie said—"

"What, that my lunch decided to leap off my plate and attack me of its own volition? And that Potter just happened to be standing five feet away when it happened? And that Black and Lupin and Pettigrew were standing five feet behind _him_ starting to laugh before he even did anything?"

Her frown didn't waver. "Well, you don't always have to escalate things."

"Right, because if I just sit there and let them humiliate me that will make everything better." He heard enough of that kind of nonsense from the professors and the headmaster. The headmaster especially, who had let Potter off this afternoon with five points and a detention for spelling at another student, while Severus lost ten points and got _three_ detentions just for sending a few plates and bowls back at him. It wasn't his fault that the idiot had been too stupid to duck a _metal_ platter and had ended up in the infirmary. Or that Lupin had somehow managed to get hot broth in his eye. Of course the other three hadn't received any punishment since _obviously_ they hadn't known anything Potter's little trick, just to make life even better.

Lily sighed and looked disappointed, and he shook his head and turned to get a jar of newt eyes out of the storeroom. There was no point in arguing about this sort of thing with her; she might get angry at them when she actually _saw_ them doing something to Severus, but she'd never really understand what it was like. She couldn't.

He found the newt eyes he was looking for and grabbed a small jar of pickled rabbits' feet as well. It wasn't that he _wanted_ anyone to go around assaulting her in the halls—he'd kill anyone who tried, no questions asked—but it was still frustrating to talk to someone who still seemed to believe that all problems could be eventually solved with a smile and a handshake.

When he re-entered the Potions' classroom, she seemed to have put the incident out of her mind, setting up her own cauldron next to his so they could work the Shrinking Solution together. He shook his head again and rejoined her. They didn't have as many opportunities to spend time together this year as they had last, especially since she'd dropped Ancient Runes, and he wasn't going to let thoughts about those idiots spoil it.

////////////////////////////////

Aberdeen squeaked happily as he lifted out of her cage and onto his bed. Most of roommates were out in the common room and the rest were at one of Slughorn's Slug Club parties—a more ridiculous name Severus still hadn't been able to come up with—giving him the room to himself. That suited him just fine, at the moment. His shoulders were sore from all the lifting he'd had to do in his latest detention, and there was a funny smell on his robes…Filch might have only started as the caretaker at Hogwarts a couple years ago, but he was becoming disturbingly creative about the things he made students do during his detentions. Severus rolled his shoulders again and winced at the popping sound. He was fifteen; his joints weren't _supposed_ to make those noises.

A new letter from Alastor sat unanswered in his trunk, and he played with Aberdeen absently while debating whether or not he should try and answer it now. He'd sent back a reply to the first at the same time he'd owled off the paperwork to France—a 'thank you for the book, classes are going well' sort of thing—and the two of them had taken to owling back and forth every week or two since. They weren't long letters as neither he nor Alastor were much for long chats, but it was nice to hear what he and Gideon and Fabian had been up to.

He snorted, deciding that he might as well at least try, and summoned a piece of parchment and a quill to the bed. His own letters tended to cover classes and Hogsmeade visits, mostly, but they were pretty severely edited with regards to actual events. Not so different than his letters to Mum had been, really. His longstanding quarrel with the Moronic Marauders was back to the level it had reached in previous years and looked as though it was going to escalate further, and as much as he might have liked to ask Alastor for useful spells to use against idiots who hexed him in the halls and put jinxes on his books and gave him all manner of other trouble, given the incident at the Department of Mysteries this summer he didn't think that asking for help in getting revenge was a good idea. He was more tempted to owl one of the Prewetts and ask—it was easier to forget that they were Aurors than that Alastor was, and they'd had good ideas for him before school began—but he really didn't want that sort of thing getting back to his guardian.

Nor was he going to talk about the string of detentions that _he_ kept getting for defending himself. What was he supposed to do, let them do whatever they wanted without even _trying_ to stand up for himself, like Dumbledore seemed to think? He couldn't possibly be the only person who could see that that would just make the harassment worse.

With a snort, he tapped the quill against the parchment a little too hard, and ink splattered everywhere. Aberdeen twisted to sniff at a patch that landed on her fur, and he apologized automatically and wiped it away with his thumb. Maybe he _should_ put off writing his letter until he was a little calmer.


	27. AU: Learning Curve

_Thank you to everyone who has been reading, and especially to everyone who has reviewed. There probably aren't going to be too many Severus-at-Hogwarts scenes unless I'm struck with sudden inspiration…I have a hard time seeing them in my head (at least aside from seeing endless fights with the Marauders, and those get tiring after awhile), and since the story is mostly focused on the relationship between Severus and Alastor that's what the majority of the chapters will cover. Although there will still be the Hogwarts scenes as necessary to move the story along.  
_

////////////////////////////////

Severus glared down the corridor after Dumbledore, who was assisting Pettigrew towards the infirmary. _He_ hadn't started the hexing contest, for lack of a better term, between him and the Marauders. And it wasn't _his_ fault that Pettigrew had been too stupid to figure out that he should have bounced _away_ from the stone wall when Severus hit him with an elastic-bound hex. What kind of idiot couldn't figure out that when a skull impacted a stone, the stone was going to win? But now _he_ had a week of detention—to go with the thousand or so other detentions he'd earned—while they only got two days each. He stamped off towards the Slytherin dungeons, the rubber soles of his boots not making nearly as satisfying a noise as they impacted the stone as he might have liked.

"You lost _more_ points?" one of the fourth-year girls complained as he stalked across the common room headed for the fifth-year rooms.

"Bugger off." He hated this stupid school.

Rosier leveled a glare at him as he entered their room, and Severus snarled at him as well before flopping down on his bed. He hated this stupid school _and_ everyone in it.

"Hey, Evan, what are you getting Marie for Christmas?" Thomas asked, sticking his head into the room. "Kathryn wants to know!"

"Oy, and I'm going to tell my girl's bestfriend what I'm getting her for Christmas?" Rosier demanded, his attention diverted away from Severus. "Be serious!"

Severus groaned into his pillow. And as if he didn't have _enough_ troubles just dealing with the Prat Patrol, the Christmas hols were coming up, and he had _no_ idea what to get for Lily or Alastor. He'd looked on the last few Hogsmeade trips—since it had occurred to him that he should be buying presents—but so far he hadn't seen anything that he thought either of them would really like.

Thomas continued to bait Evan about his girlfriend, and Severus rolled onto his back. There were always sweets and that sort of thing, but they didn't seem right for Lily. Or, for that matter, for Alastor. Somehow in previous years this had never been such a problem.

He snorted. Of course, in previous years he'd never had any _money_ either, so the best he'd ever been able to give Mum or Lily had been his best wishes, but now he had a neat little stack of coins, and his head hurt trying to figure out what to do with them.

Evan stood up and grabbed his broom, swinging it as he chased Thomas out of the room, and as the panel swung shut behind them, Severus rolled back over and reached under his bed to pull out his small horde from its hiding place. Most of it was from the publishing house in France, but Alastor's letters had sometimes contained a coin or two as well, and he'd saved most of them. Not that that _having_ them told him what to _do_ with them.

And there were Gideon and Fabian. He sighed. It felt like he should get them something as well—he was pretty sure they'd be getting him something, most likely from a convenient joke shop—but before he could spend money on them he had to know how much he needed for Alastor's and Lily's presents.

Something silver fluttered into the room, and he recognized Lily's signal that she was free to do Potions' work if he was. He rolled to his feet. He had a couple hours until tonight's detention started…maybe he could come up with some subtle questions that would help him figure out what she'd like. He snorted. _Right_.

////////////////////////////////

"Hey, Snivillus!"

Severus dropped his wand down into his hand and shifted so that his back was to the wall. "What do you want, Black? Still having trouble figuring out which way your dormitory is?" At least the rest of the idiots didn't seem to be around—one on one he was _definitely_ a match for Black.

"At least I don't have to crawl around underground like a rat."

"Just storing food like one? Tell me, were you planning to eat those potatoes tonight, or are they for the winter?"

Black glanced down at a spot of potatoes that had fallen onto his robes and flushed an ugly shade of red.

"Is there a problem here?" a lighter voice interrupted.

"Unless prefects are qualified to perform brain transplants, nothing you'll be able to fix," Severus snapped, sneering at Lupin. As expected, the other boy had been absolutely _useless_ as a prefect. He might not initiate the fights, but he sure as hell didn't _stop_ them, and he was more than occasionally known to join in when Potter or Black pushed. Not to mention that he always backed whatever his idiot friends had to say when a professor asked for his recounting of events, no matter how senseless they were—and, of course, since he was a prefect his words automatically carried extra weight—but it wasn't as though Severus had expected anything else.

"Gentlemen?"

Severus pulled his wand up into his sleeve, out of sight, at the sound of Professor McGonagall's voice. She wasn't quite as obnoxious as Dumbledore, which was a little odd considering that she was those bastards' head-of-house, but he'd take what small favors he could get. If _Dumbledore_ saw them standing like this, he'd probably assign Severus another detention just for the hell of it.

Her glance swept across all three of them, and then she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "Mr. Lupin, shouldn't you be helping the younger students with their studies? And Mr. Black, Mr. Snape, I expect that you also have other places to be, as well?"

"Yes, Professor," Lupin said promptly, sounding slightly relieved, his words followed immediately by inarticulate grumbling from Black.

She raised an eyebrow in Severus' direction, and he dipped his head slightly. "Yes, Professor."

Unlike most of the rest of the professors, she always waited until they'd all dispersed before going about her own tasks—wise, considering the students involved—and Severus was able to continue down to the entrance to Slytherin unmolested. For once he didn't have a detention, and since he was as caught up on his school work as he ever was, he was going to curl up with a book and some pumpkin juice and the last of the chocolate frogs Alastor had sent with his latest letter and have a relaxing evening. Even Black couldn't spoil _that_.

He ignored the mass of students out in the Common Room…some were studying, most were chatting or playing card games, and none of them he wanted anything to do with at the moment. He waved up the lights in the fifth year boys room upon entering, and then fell back with a squawk as something exploded at him. "_Expelliarmus!_" He didn't know _what_ was attacking him, but with as much force as he'd put behind it, that would do at least something against most attackers.

Rosier hit the wall with a dull thump.

"What in Merlin's name is the matter with you?!" Severus snarled, recognizing that most of the belongings scattered around were his. Aberdeen's cage was upside down, but it seemed to be intact and he could hear her scrabbling around.

Rosier glowered at him, and Severus held his wand steadily on target. "_What?_ You've been acting like an arse all bloody year!" They hadn't been _good_ friends before, but Evan had backed him once or twice against the Marauders, they'd wandered around together on the occasional Hogsmeade trip…he had _no_ idea where this hostility was coming from.

"It's his fault, and you don't even _care_!" Rosier ignored Severus' threatening posture, snatching at his wand and shoving himself to his feet.

Severus flicked his wand, scooting Aberdeen's cage towards him, but he couldn't afford to get too close to Rosier. The other boy was nearly as tall as he was, and quite a bit heavier. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"I saw you with him! I saw the name on the note!"

"What? _Who?_ For Merlin's sake, would you make sense?" Severus glanced back towards the door, unsure whether or not to be glad that the noise from the crowd in the common room was covering their fight. The last thing they needed was an audience, but a few bystanders would probably put paid to any notion of a _real_ fight before it began. At least a fight between housemates.

"Moody."

The venom in Rosier's voice was as surprising as the attack had been. What could _Alastor_ have done to anger a fifth-year Hogwarts student so much? Presumably Rosier had seen them together on the platform while they were waiting for the train or possibly in Diagon Alley getting supplies, and although Severus didn't advertise it wasn't as though he made any effort to _hide_ his letters either, but why Rosier would _care_…. "I don't understand."

"He killed my father," Evan snapped, venom still thick in his voice. He shook his head and shoved past Severus, slamming open the door through to the Common room and then slamming it behind him again.

Severus stared after him for several minutes, trying to make sense of that statement. Alastor was an Auror—had been for at least as long as Severus had been alive, and Severus was pretty sure quite a bit longer—and there was no doubt that he'd been in fights in that time. But could he really have killed Evan's…?

He shook his head and tucked his wand into his pocket before picking up Aberdeen's cage and moving to sit on the bed. She squeaked at him in annoyance as he righted it again, but she seemed to be unarmed. He picked her up and stroked her absently.

Thinking about it objectively, Aurors were the ones on the front lines, and he was well aware that people did get killed. People on both sides. He'd worried a little when he'd read the case files that Alastor had allowed him to, thinking about his guardian facing those people, but he hadn't thought a lot about _them_. Or any families that they might have. After all, Alastor never really talked about his work, and temper aside about the worst Severus had ever known him to deliver was a sound thrashing. And even then, he was forgiven for whatever he'd been punished for an hour after it was over.

He pulled his wand back out, sending his belongings back into their places with a few absent flicks. Most of them had just been scattered rather than destroyed—from the look of things his latest letter had been shredded and the chocolate frogs that had accompanied it ground into the stone—but the rest were intact and his money was still hidden under his bed. He wasn't sure what Rosier had thought throwing his things about would accomplish, but from the way Rosier had been acting, maybe he hadn't been thinking at all. Realistically, that was probably the case.

Aberdeen squeaked, and he put his wand away and resumed petting her, trying not to think all the thoughts that were running about in his head. Or the fact that maybe he should have thought about them _before_, given who some of his housemates were connected to. So much for his quiet night.

////////////////////////////////

Alastor. Alastor. Alastor. There had to be _something_ in here that he would like. He was taking the train home for the holidays in a _week_, and this was the last excursion to Hogsmeade the students were making. He _had_ to find something good.

At least Lily's present was safely tucked under his arm—he'd actually managed to come up with a good idea while they were working on Potions together—and he'd stopped at the joke and sweet shops to pick out a selection of true and prank sweets so the Prewetts were taken care of as well. But that still left something for Alastor, and he still had no ideas. He hadn't dared ask for suggestions from his roommates, not after Rosier's little revelation—something that he was dealing with at the moment by _not_ dealing with it. Fortunately, it seemed that Rosier was doing the same…they avoided each other as best they could, and that was that.

Severus shook his head. So far he had ruled out the joke shop entirely, presumably Alastor would already have a pet if he wanted one—and besides, he didn't want to purchase something that might consider Aberdeen a nice snack—Alastor already _had_ a very nice chess set as well as several card games…. Severus had thought about a book, originally, but Alastor already had so many he wasn't sure what he could add. Besides which, Alastor's reading patterns tended to change depending on what cases he had open at any given time.

His eyes flickered across the items on the shelves. But none of these seemed right, either. Alastor's desk was cluttered; the top was covered with bits and pieces from this case or that, notes scattered everywhere…mostly this place just had fancy ornamental stuff that just wouldn't fit in. He was pretty sure that Alastor would thank him for anything he bought and take it to work, but that didn't mean that he'd _like_ it.

Severus had listened a little bit to what his roommates were getting for their male relatives, but from what most of them had said, with the exceptions of brothers and cousins and the sorts of people one could shop for at Zonko's, their mums were the ones actually buying the presents and they were just supposed to put their names on them. Not a lot of help there.

"Hello, Severus," Anthony said with an even nod, and Severus nodded back at the seventh-year who'd just stepped into the shop. "Who are you shopping for?"

"A…friend." He wasn't even going to try explaining the guardian issue, not to someone who wasn't much more than a casual acquaintance.

"In here? Are you trying to put the poor guy to sleep?" He waved a hand and didn't wait for a response. "Mum said I have to get something nice for my uncle since he's offered to sponsor me for an apprenticeship next year, but I haven't got a bloody _clue_ what he'd like."

A situation Severus could sympathize with, and he nodded slightly.

"I don't know, maybe I'll get him a nice nameplate or something." He picked up one of the samples on the shelves and held it up. "What do you think?"

Severus shrugged, and then shook his head and turned for the door. "You're right, I don't see anything that suits in here. I'd better try somewhere else before it's time to get back to Hogwarts."

Anthony nodded absently, putting the nameplate down and picking up a quill holder, frowning at it. "See you back at Hogwarts. And would you _try_ not to get into any more fights?"

Severus didn't bother to dignify that with an answer as he left the shop. There weren't many places that he hadn't already looked, and he was running out of time.

////////////////////////////////

Severus leaned against the window, continuing his pretense of sleep when Lily looked up from her book. He'd been so _glad_ when he'd found out that all four of the Moronic Marauders were remaining at the school over the holidays. He wasn't sure why they were all staying, nor did he particularly _care_, but it had meant that he and Lily had been able to get a compartment together with no more than a few glares.

He nearly ruined his pretense with a deep sigh. Except that she'd spent most of the trip stroking her fingers along some stupid charm bracelet that James-bloody-Potter had given her—she'd even gone so far as to say that he 'wasn't so bad'! Of _course_ he was so bad! He was one of the worst of the Moronic Marauders, and _why_ she wasn't seeing that…. It very much made him want to beat his skull against a brick wall, but there was a distinct lack of brick walls on the Hogwarts Express.

He saw her touch that stupid bracelet again and tried not to snarl. He'd spent the majority of his money on the special edition Charms book that she'd mentioned seeing in the bookstore, and she'd seemed happy with it when he'd given it to her—she'd even hugged him quickly—but you didn't see her carrying _it_ around and running her fingers along the spine every five minutes.

He'd put up with her behavior for as long as he could before swearing that he was exhausted and pretending to fall asleep. Which translated to leaning against the window and watching her from all-but-closed eyes while wishing that he had an excuse to hex someone. He didn't understand what she could possibly _see_ in that Potter idiot. She was far too good for him. Far too smart, Far too funny…why couldn't she see how much _he_ appreciated her company? He was smarter than Potter was—his _mouse_ was smarter than Potter was—he shared many of the same interests that she did…. Her attention was on the Transfiguration book she'd pulled out when he'd pretended to go to sleep, and he kicked the bench across from him lightly. Stupid Potter, stupid Marauders, stupid Hogwarts.

The train whistle blew, startling him out of his pretense of sleep, and he sat up and checked the small trunk tucked under his seat. He wasn't taking much home with him—the holiday didn't last _that_ long—but he didn't have anything smaller.

"You're staying with the Auror, his name was Moody, right?" Lily asked.

"Right." He didn't actually know what their plans would be for the holidays, but he hoped that they might be spending at least some of it with Fabian and Gideon. He wouldn't even mind the Weasleys, as long as he got to go home with Alastor at the end of the night. Molly was an impressive cook, even if she did like mushy carrots far too much for his tastes. It occurred to him that he was probably supposed to ask about her plans in return, and he cleared his throat quickly. "Is your family visiting relatives, or is it just the four of you this year?"

Lily made a face. "Officially it's just the four of us, since Grandmother passed away, but Vernon Dursley—you remember I told you about him, Petunia's new boyfriend—is supposed to stop by for Christmas Eve dinner since he'll be home from his oh-so-prestigious university. Of course, I'm just _thrilled_." She brightened up slightly. "But maybe that means that she'll spend some of the holiday at his house and I won't have to deal with her the whole time."

Severus made an appropriately sympathetic noise and then lurched slightly as the train came to a halt. "If you have anything from Zonko's, you could always accidentally let him get his hands on some of it."

Lily's lips twitched slightly, but Severus knew perfectly well that she'd never do anything of the sort. _He_ would—actually he'd probably be a good deal more direct than that—but friends since childhood or not, they'd never dealt with people in quite the same way.

The whistle sounded once again, announcing that they had come to a complete stop and the students were free to debark, and Lily broke into a grin and called a goodbye back to him as she hurried from the train. Reluctant to see Petunia again or not, she had no such qualms about her parents.

He pulled his trunk out from under the bench, suddenly reluctant. Alastor had said in his last letter that he would be here to meet the train, but he might have got tied up with something—probably had, in fact. He'd come eventually of course, but it was kind of silly really, since Severus could get back to the house from the train station perfectly well by himself, and maybe he should have just written back and said so….

Severus was one of the last on the train, chivvied by the sweet cart woman who drove himself and one or two other stragglers forward with quick gestures.

"And there you are. Was starting to think you'd missed the train."

He started at the grip of a broad hand on his neck, twisting to find Alastor standing just beside him. He leaned into the pressure slightly. "Sorry. I got kind of held up."

"Ah, no harm done. At least it let that mass of people get out of here before we had to fight our way through them." Alastor released his neck, and a quick flick of his wand levitated Severus' trunk. "Let's get you home. How was your trip?"

"All right, I guess." He didn't really want to talk about Lily. "Be careful, Aberdeen is in there."

Alastor nodded in agreement, and Severus followed him as they made their way off the platform.

"Those boys didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

"No." Or at least not directly. "They stayed at Hogwarts this year." He reached out to grab his floating trunk as Alastor gripped his neck again lightly, and the two of them appeared in front of their flat. "How come no one ever notices you apparating in and out from here?"

"Disillusionment charm on the borders of the apparition wards. Not perfect, but if people suddenly see a person where they didn't before, they'll generally explain it away in their own minds as me having walked up while they weren't looking. Muggles are good like that." They were halfway to the door when Alastor paused suddenly, drawing his wand and pulling Severus back behind him.

"Alastor?"

"Stay back. It's probably nothing, but I want you back out of the line of fire." His voice was hard.

Severus swallowed, remembering again what Rosier had accused Alastor of. As much as he really didn't like thinking about it, Alastor probably _had_ killed before, and sometimes at night in the dormitory he'd wondered if things would be the same the next time he came home. He hadn't felt anything but relief and pleasure when he'd seen Alastor at the train station, but watching him like this…. He shook his head and watched over Alastor's shoulder cautiously.


	28. AU: Making Plans

_Thank you to everyone who has been reading, and especially to everyone who has reviewed. _

////////////////////////////////

Severus' trunk came to rest on the ground lightly, and Alastor took a few more cautious steps towards the door. At which point it was suddenly covered in red and green and white stripes that began to flash and swirl, ending up in one of the most garish patterns that Severus had ever seen.

Alastor made a disgusted sound. "Stay here."

"What? _Why?_" Alastor frowned, and Severus hurriedly continued. "I mean, if that was an attack, it was the most idiotic attack I've ever heard of."

"Vigilance, lad; just because something looks harmless doesn't mean that it is." His frown lessened and he relented slightly. "Although in this case I want you to stay here because I'm going to murder my partner—and possibly his brother and _his_ partner—and I don't want any witnesses."

Severus grinned, leaning down to grab the handle of his trunk and dragging it towards the door after Alastor. He wouldn't stupid enough to get in _front_ of Alastor, but if Gideon and Fabian had done that to their door, he really wanted to see what they'd done inside.

The couch—previously a nice grey-green—was now a frighteningly neon green, Alastor's chair was an equally frightening red, and the walls were flashing various holiday messages almost too rapidly to read. He was pretty sure that he caught 'Welcome home, Severus' among the rest, but it was hard to say.

Gideon was sprawled out across Alastor's chair, his hair clashing horribly with the newly-colored fabric, but instead of Fabian, a woman leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, obviously trying not to laugh at the look on Alastor's face.

"Damn it, Gideon, did you have to corrupt the rest of the Ministry?" Alastor complained, flicking his wand to return the furniture to its appropriate colors. "And you nearly gave me heart failure as well." He flicked his wand again, this time directed at one of the walls, and then frowned as the messages showed no sign of slowing down.

"Ah, a little adrenaline is good for you." Gideon rolled to his feet, grinning and saluting Severus. "So what do you think of our redecorating?"

"It's certainly…colorful."

"See, he appreciates us," Gideon declared.

Alastor rolled his eyes and turned to address Severus, leaving off his attempt to fix the walls for a moment. "Severus, you know that lunatic, but this is Marlene McKinnon. Marlene, Severus Snape."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Marlene," the woman said, taking a step forward and offering her hand. "And it's nice to finally meet you as well."

She was older than Gideon, with brown hair going to grey at her temples—at a guess Severus put her somewhere around Alastor's age—and he remembered Alastor saying last summer that a friend of his since school named Marlene had been hurt in an attack. If this was her, she seemed to have recovered fairly well. Her hand was smaller than his, but she had a strong grip, and her gaze was steady.

"Why don't you put your things in your room, and I'll fix that," Alastor gestured at the still-flashing walls, "and then figure out what our uninvited guests want."

Severus was opening his mouth to agree when Gideon interrupted.

"It's fairly simple, as far as ulterior motives go—we're hungry. Fabian and Caradoc are holding a table for us at Rolling Rock, but you two are late, and we want food." He waved a hand. "See, we figured that if we left the two of you to your own devices, you'd probably both spend the evening lying around reading, or something like that, and that's absolutely _no_ way to celebrate your first day out of school," he nodded to Severus, "or our first day in weeks out of the office."

Alastor raised an eyebrow, and Severus nodded in quick agreement. He didn't really need to unpack anything except Aberdeen right now; his clothing and books could stay in his trunk as long as necessary. Since he was inside and Alastor's wards were in place, he levitated the trunk and hurried down the hall to his room. He hadn't thought about it before, but he'd pretended to sleep through arrival of the sweet cart woman on the train, and he was hungry too.

////////////////////////////////

Severus yawned and sat up slowly, taking a moment to orient himself. Alastor's. Later in the morning that he usually slept, judging by the amount of light coming in through the window. Too _much_ light; it made his eyes hurt. He reached up and pulled down the shade, realizing that his head felt weirdly fuzzy as well. And his stomach was doing unpleasant things…was he getting sick? He didn't want to be sick for the holiday. With another yawn, he forced himself to climb out of bed, changing into one of his school robes out of habit, and then headed out into the sitting room.

"Hello, lad," Alastor greeted, and then chuckled as Severus squinted at him, trying not to look at the lit lamp beside his chair. "Aye, I was afraid that might be the case. Come along."

Severus trailed him into the kitchen, taking the glass he was handed without thinking and drinking the contents quickly. The liquid was thick—like syrup, almost—and it didn't taste particularly good. For a few long, unpleasant moments he thought that his stomach was going to reject it entirely, but after the wave of nausea passed his stomach settled down and his head began to clear. He refilled the glass with water, using it to wash the taste out of his mouth, and tried to figure out what had happened.

Dinner last night had started with he and Alastor and the Prewetts and Caradoc and Marlene at one of the restaurant's round tables, but then one of the Auror trainees who'd just become a full Auror had come in—one of the reasons Alastor and Gideon had been so busy recently was that they'd been helping him finish his requirements before the holidays—and had ended up dragging over a second table so he could join them with his family. And then a couple friends of _his_ had joined the group, and then a few others from the Ministry had happened by, and…well, before long it had turned into a regular party. A party that had run decidedly late and had taken over the back room of the restaurant, from what Severus could remember.

He'd only vaguely recognized Frank Longbottom—the man who'd just become a full Auror—from Hogwarts, since Frank had finished school in Severus' first or second year…if he hadn't been a Prefect, Severus didn't think that he'd have remembered him at all. Some of Frank's friends, however, had only left within the last year or two and they'd been willing enough to include Severus in the festivities. Fortunately none of them remembered much about his feud with the Marauders, the rivalries of younger students not having been of any great interest.

He took another sip of water, frowning. He remembered dinner clearly, and then Alastor refusing to let him have any firewhiskey when Frank had offered it. That had been a little annoying—he was fifteen, not five—but he hadn't been willing to contradict Alastor. He had been annoyed enough to move from his seat by Alastor over to where a group of Frank's friends were discussing the new _Wizard Weekly_ cursebreaking competition, though, and during their discussion he'd had several glasses of the brightly colored punch that had been sitting in a pitcher on the table. At which point things started to get a little fuzzy. His frown deepened. He was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that maybe he should have paid a little closer attention to what had been _in_ that punch. He didn't remember tasting any alcohol, but then again, he'd never really had anything besides butterbeer or the occasional glass of wine before either. "I was drunk, wasn't I?" he asked cautiously.

"More than a bit tipsy," Alastor agreed.

Severus gave him a quick glance. "You're not angry?"

Alastor shook his head. "No. Especially since it's as much my fault as yours. I should have thought to warn you off that punch, especially with what I know a couple of Frank's friends brought in with them to spice it up. They're good lads—not the sort who'd set out to get you drunk on purpose—but everyone was in pretty high spirits and I doubt they thought a thing about it. Unfortunately, by the time it occurred to me that you probably didn't know what they were up to, it was already a little late to tell you to stick with what the waitstaff gave you."

Another thought occurred to Severus, and he flushed, dropping his eyes to stare at the floor tiles. "I didn't do anything…stupid…did I?" He'd seen people drunk before—his father for one; some of the older students at Hogwarts who occasionally snuck flasks back into school after holidays for another—and if he'd ended up on top of any tables _singing_ like a couple of his housemates had done after they'd finished their NEWTs last year, he was going to have to kill himself.

Alastor chuckled and shook his head again. "No, lad. If anything you got a bit quieter, which is probably why no one else thought to stop you either." He reached out and hooked a knuckle under Severus' chin, lifting his head. "Mind, when I said I wasn't angry, I meant about a simple accident. I'd best not hear about you going about getting yourself drunk on purpose. For one, you're more than a bit young to be drinking anyway, and for another it's just foolish." He shook his head. "It _does_ happen, and you'll find yourself dealing with an aching head and upset stomach on your own, understand?"

Severus nodded in quick agreement. The taste of the punch had been all right, but he didn't like the way his head—or his stomach—had felt when he'd woken up, and the fuzziness of his memories of last night wasn't very pleasant either. Besides which, he only had to think of his father to know that he didn't want to spend his life drunk.

Alastor pushed himself to his feet. "Good lad. And as long as you're feeling better now, there's no harm done, I suppose. We'll both know for next time." He nodded towards the preserver. "There's some porridge, if you're hungry."

Severus shook his head quickly. His head felt much better, and he wasn't anywhere near as queasy as he'd been when he'd woken up, but he didn't really want to test it. He'd eat later. "Are you off work today?"

"Today and tomorrow. Finally getting in a few days of rest after hauling Frank all over the country these past few weeks." He shook his head and went to the preserver, pouring himself a glass of juice and offering the container to Severus before sitting down at the table. "Figure we can go into London today for some last minute shopping, if you feel well enough for it. I don't know about you, but there are still a few things that I need to pick up."

Severus poured himself some juice as well—he was pretty sure his stomach could handle that much—and then joined Alastor at the table. "That sounds good." He'd managed to find a gift for Alastor that he was at least marginally pleased with, but he wouldn't mind a chance to look around a few more shops. "Are we going to be staying here for the holidays, or visiting anyone, or…?"

"Well, I suppose that's one thing I ought to talk to you about. Figure we'll go over to the Weasleys for the New Years—that's what I usually do, anyway, and Fabian and Gideon and a couple of Arthur's relatives will be there as well—but Christmas is about the only time that I normally put up with my family's nonsense so we've got an invitation to my eldest brother's to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with them. Now, I don't know if there's anyone that _you'll_ want to visit for the holidays…?"

He trailed off, and Severus shook his head quickly. "I said Happy Christmas to everybody I needed to back at school." All four of them or so, and only Lily had really mattered. "But who's 'them'? Is it just your brother, or…?" He trailed off as a more pressing question occurred to him. "And are you sure 'we' includes me?" It would be awkward in the extreme to turn up with Alastor only to find that no one had expected him. He'd _rather_ be with Alastor for the holiday, but Alastor should be able to spend some time with his family too. He could always stay behind and finish his schoolwork or something.

"It most certainly includes you," Alastor said firmly. "I'd not be considering it if it didn't. And 'them' are my brothers Alexander and Adam, and their wives, Veronica and Rose. Alexander's children will be there too—Eric, Ellen, and Matthew—and then Eric's wife Anna and their daughter Irene." He frowned slightly. "Actually, I'd say Matthew is about your age, give or take a year or so. I don't know him that well, but that would give you someone to talk to while I try not to fight with my brothers." He waved a hand. "I'm not usually very successful, which is why we only get together once a year."

"I don't think I know anyone named Matthew Moody," Severus said after a moment of thought. Granted that he didn't know the name of _everyone_ at Hogwarts, especially those in the other houses, but he certainly knew everyone in his own year and most of those in the years closest to his as well. "What house is he in?"

"Oh, he's not at Hogwarts. Goes to Durmstrag, same as his siblings and Adam did." Alastor's lips twitched slightly. "Alexander says he enrolled them there because of 'concerns' about the qualifications of the teaching staff at Hogwarts, but all that really means is that he and Minerva McGonagall—she was O'Leary, then—got into a row in their fifth year, she kicked his arse royally, and he's never forgiven the insult. He always has been one to hold a grudge."

"Professor McGonagall? _Really?_" Severus couldn't imagine his Transfiguration teacher getting into a fight with anyone, especially after some of the lectures—and associated detentions—she'd given him and the Brainless Bunch. Of course, he couldn't really imagine her being a _student_, either, so….

"Well, I wasn't there to see it, but Adrian—another brother, two years younger than Alexander and six years older than myself—was. Used to tell the story every time Alexander started getting a bit too full of himself." He snorted slightly. "I heard it a lot, growing up."

Severus' lips twitched as well, and he remembered that Adrian had been the name of the person who'd given Alastor the first book that Alastor had sent him at Hogwarts. "Is he not going to be there? Adrian, I mean?"

Alastor shook his head. "He died a long time ago, during the war with Grindlewald. Wasn't even involved in the war, really, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Oh. I'm sorry." It figured that he'd end up asking a stupid question.

Alastor waved a hand. "It's fine; you didn't know. Anyway, Alexander and Adam are rather…." He shook his head. "Not quite sure how to put it, but I told you a bit about how I was raised, and Alexander raised and is raising his younglings the same way. And he raised Adam for a good while too—he's only two or three years older than Eric, and my parents both passed away before his first year of Wizarding school—so I'm afraid his attitudes are pretty similar as well." He must have seen some of Severus' growing worry, because he shook his head. "They'll not lay a hand on you, you needn't be concerned about _that_, but they're a bit…stiff-necked, that's the term I was looking for. All tied up with appropriate manners and behavior and that sort of thing—it might not be the most relaxing holiday that you've ever had. _I_ have to put in an appearance, if only to keep them off my back for the rest of the year, but you needn't subject yourself to that if you don't want to. Fabian and Gideon would be more than happy to have you for a visit. And Molly and Arthur as well, I'm sure."

Severus opened his mouth and then shut it again. This was the most he'd heard about Alastor's family ever, and while part of him was still a little worried about what might happen if he met them—they _were_ Alastor's relatives, after all, and somehow he doubted that any of them were overly pleased about him taking in some random teenager—he was curious as well. Besides, it couldn't be any worse than any of the formal dinners his grandparents had put him through. "Could we just go for one day? Maybe for Christmas, and not…?"

"Maybe have Christmas Eve just you, and I and then we can go over on Christmas? Aye, I suppose we could do that." Alastor smiled slightly. "Make it a bit easier to give you your presents here, anyway."

Severus nodded in agreement. "Okay. Oh, can you take something to Gideon and Fabian? For Christmas, I mean, in case I don't see them before then?" He probably should have given their boxes to them last night, but he hadn't really been thinking about it.

"Of course, although I expect that they'll be stopping by for dinner sometime before then." He frowned slightly. "I think they've got something for you too, but they've been hinting that they're planning to send it to you at school so I don't take it away, which worries me a bit." He shook his head and rose to put his glass in the sink. "So how are your classes going? Didn't get much of a chance to talk to you last night."

"Pretty good." Severus finished his juice and went to rinse his cup as well. "I'm glad I'm not taking Divination anymore; with OWLs coming up all of the professors are heaping on extra work."

Alastor nodded. "Potions is still your favorite?"

"Yeah. Well, class is kind of dull, but Lily and I have permission to use the classroom laboratory in our free time, and we always come up with interesting experiments to try."

"Without supervision?" Alastor demanded.

"We're careful! And Professor Slughorn always makes us show him what we're going to do _before_ we're allowed to do it if it's something that's not coming directly out of a book." He noted that that seemed to relax Alastor a bit and shook his head. As though he _or_ Lily would do something stupid like mix dragon venom and Venomous Tarantagulla root without someone telling them not to.

"What about your other classes?"

"Okay, I guess. Arithmancy is probably my second favorite, and Defense is better this year than usual. See, we always have a different professor each year, and…." He waved a hand. "At least this one remembers what she's teaching day-to-day."

Alastor snorted. "Suppose that explains a lot about some of our incoming Auror trainees. You've been keeping yourself out of mischief, despite the…assistance…of my partner and his brother?"


	29. AU: More than a friend?

_Thanks to everyone who read and especially to those who reviewed._

_I had a question in a review a chapter or two ago about any other good young-Severus mentor fics that I might know about. I haven't found too many that I liked, not generally because they were badly written, just because they were Dumbledore and Severus, and I have a hard time seeing that working. If you search Albus and Severus as main characters, you'll probably find them. There is one by viskii (It Falls to the Young) that I read awhile back and liked, although it's very non-canon. Another one I like is by tajjas (River of Dreams)…it's also au and is actually Severus-as-mentor, but in later chapters it goes more into his relationships with others on Hogwarts' staff, including Alastor, and is a fun, albeit long-and-getting-longer, read. Hope that helps._

////////////////////////////////

Severus squirmed a little, trying to figure out how he was supposed to answer Alastor's question. He should have been expecting it, especially after Alastor started asking about classes and such, but he just…hadn't. To Severus' knowledge, no one at Hogwarts sent home any sort of behavioral reports—his grandparents would probably have killed him years ago for 'disgracing the family name' or something equally idiotic if anyone had—but if Alastor had _asked_ for one he had no doubt what it would say. Just because Dumbledore was permanently biased in favor of those bloody Gryffindors, no matter that any idiot could see how much trouble they were. He kept his sigh to himself. But was he supposed to just _admit_ his never-ending string of detentions and hope that Alastor wasn't too angry about them, or gloss over everything like he did in his letters?

"Severus?" Alastor asked, hooking a knuckle under his chin and tilting his head up.

Severus bit back a curse. Now, thanks to his hesitation, Alastor wouldn't believe him if he said he'd been behaving anyway. But he still didn't want to admit just how _much_ trouble he'd been in, and saying that it was all the Marauders fault—even if it was true—just made him sound like a whiny brat. "Kind of?" he said finally, stalling for time as he tried to decide how much was safe to admit.

"And just what does that mean?"

Alastor seemed more amused than angry, which probably meant that he _didn't _know about Severus' problems at school. Of course, it also meant that Severus had to come up with something to say that explained his 'kind of' without revealing the rest of it, so…. "I might have used the bat bogey hex Gideon showed us on Black."

Alastor crossed his arms over his chest. "Seem to recall telling you that wasn't to happen."

"Yes, sir." Severus dropped his eyes to the ground. "I just got angry, and it…happened." He shrugged again.

"One of your teachers dealt with it?"

Well, the headmaster had dealt with it—however unfair his punishment had been—but Severus wasn't about to admit _that_ either. "I got a couple days of detention."

"I suppose that it's done with then." He tilted Severus chin back up. "It won't happen again, aye?"

"No, sir."

"Good lad. And you've dealt all right with those boys and stayed out of trouble other than that?"

"Mostly," Severus said, with a quick nod. Or at least most of the trouble he'd been in had been neither intentional nor his fault, and the few times it had been, those idiots had deserved what they got. "A couple other hexes back and forth, but nothing major." A couple…a couple _hundred_…. Alastor obviously believed that his earlier reticence had been due to his use of the bat bogey hex, so he would gloss over the rest.

Alastor chuckled. "Well, I expect that's about right for a lad your age. Do you think you'll be up to going into London this morning, or would you rather lie down for a bit longer? I'm in no hurry."

"I'm all right." He still didn't want to eat anything yet, but he was pretty sure he'd be ready by lunchtime. And besides, he had a sudden feeling that if he went back to his room to lay down again, he'd spend the whole time feeling guilty about deceiving Alastor. It was kind of stupid, because it wasn't like he really had a _choice_, but…. "Are we going to Diagon Alley?"

"Thought we might make a stop in Muggle London as well, but I'll have to visit Gringotts first and exchange a few galleons. Is there anywhere in particular that you'd like to go?"

Severus shook his head. His plan was just to scan the shop windows and hope he saw something good. That wasn't too expensive.

"All right, then. Fetch your cloak; it's cold out there."

* * * * *

Severus tried not to laugh as Alastor un-shrank the decorative plate that he'd bought for his older brother's wife—apparently she collected the things although Merlin knew _why_—and carefully checked it over. Alastor was probably one of the toughest men he knew, and watching him fuss over a blue china plate with pink and white roses on it was kind of ridiculous. Of course, it had been funny in the store, too.

"And you best just wipe that look off your face—there's plenty of time for me to fetch the one with pink ducks on it for you for Christmas," Alastor threatened

"Yes, s-sir," Severus tried to agree, only to have his laughter escape halfway through.

Alastor rapped his forehead lightly, muttering something about selling him to the circus, and then put the plate in one of the upper cabinets. "Don't let me forget that when we go over, aye?"

"I won't." Because otherwise they'd be keeping it.

Alastor un-shrank the rest of the gifts he'd purchased quickly—primarily bottles of alcohol for the remaining adult members of his family—and set them on the counter. "Are you hungry enough for dinner, or should we wait a bit?"

"I'm hungry enough." They'd stopped at a fish and chips shop in Muggle London for lunch, but that had been _hours_ ago. There had been a ridiculous number of people out and about, and it had taken far longer than he'd have believed possible to get all of their shopping done. But he had found something he thought Alastor would like, and he'd had fun just wandering around with Alastor, even Alastor had refused to have anything to do with the lifts in the Muggle shops which had meant a lot of stair climbing, so he counted the trip a success. "What do we have?"

"That won't take too long to cook? Hm." Alastor opened the cabinets, scanning through them. "We're going to need to go to the market soon, but how about curry tonight? I'll start cutting up the chicken if you want to put the spices together."

Chicken curry didn't take long to cook—or eat, for that matter—and it wasn't long before they were settling into the sitting room with their books. Severus was just getting into his when the light rap of a knuckle against his forehead interrupted him. "Hm?"

"This lass you've been working on your potions experiments with, Lily, she's a good friend of yours? Alastor asked. "Has been for awhile?"

Severus nodded, uncertain just where the question had come from. Lily and the experiments they worked on together were one of the few things that the Marauders hadn't ruined about school, so when he and Alastor had taken some time to sit down and eat their lunch, that had been mostly what he'd talked about. Well, that and Lily herself, but they _had_ been friends since they were children.

"Don't suppose she's a bit more than a friend, perhaps?"

Severus felt color start to rise in his cheeks. "No. I…no." He knew perfectly well that she didn't think of him that way. He _wished_ that she did, but…he shook his head as he remembered again her stroking that stupid charm bracelet that James-bloody-Potter had given her.

"You'd rather like her to, I take it?"

His flush deepened—he hadn't thought he'd been that obvious—but eventually he managed a slight nod. "I guess. Maybe. I mean, she's pretty, and smart, and…." He trailed off, shrugging.

"I don't…." Alastor began, and then trailed off as well, shaking his head and looking more than slightly uncomfortable.

Severus put his book aside and sat up uncertainly. "Alastor? Is something wrong?" Did he not like Lily for some reason? They'd barely even met so she couldn't have _done_ anything, and Severus had a hard time believing that the fact that she was Muggleborn would bother him.

"No, no, nothing's wrong," Alastor assured him quickly. "It's…." He shook his head again, more firmly this time. "I don't know if your mum or grandfather or someone has already talked to you about this sort of thing, but if you and the lass ever do become more than friends, I'd expect you to be properly…respectful…of her." He frowned slightly. "Well, I expect you to be properly respectful of _any_ woman, but in that particular situation you have to understand that it's not appropriate to…push…regarding certain…activities. Judging from what I've seen holding hands and kissing and such is still common, but it's important that to make sure she's…comfortable…with anything that's happening. Or might happen. And there are things you should know before you…." He cleared his throat and let the sentence trail off again. "You're still a bit on the young side to worry about that just yet, I suppose, but it's better to hear it too early than too late."

Severus opened his mouth and then shut it again, feeling his face go from simply flushed to _red _as Alastor's meaning occurred to him. "It's not—we don't—I haven't—"

"Aye, well, I expect that some day you _will_, if not with this lass than with someone else, and…." He waved a hand absently and then continued. "And aside from acceptable behaviors there are certain…precautions…that you should know about, both for you and for the lass. Things can happen very…quickly…and it's important to have…protection." He shifted in his seat, discomfort obvious. "If no one has talked to you about that sort of thing, I need to."

Severus wanted very much to run and hide somewhere, and if it hadn't been for the fact that Alastor was obviously just as uncomfortable as he was, he might have done just that. As it was, he settled for squirming and avoiding looking at his guardian. He remembered hearing a few boys talking about 'talks' their fathers had given them, and how awkward they could be, but he'd never expected to receive one himself. After all, he hadn't seen his father since he was eight, the only times his grandfather even deigned to notice him were when he was ordering Severus to do something or when he was angry, and the idea of talking about something like that with _Mum_…. He almost shivered.

"I've heard all about that sort of thing, Alastor, honest," he said when he found his voice. Of course, the people he'd heard about that sort of thing _from_ had been older students in Slytherin, most of it had been in bits and pieces from conversations that he hadn't really been a part of, and almost all of what he had managed to overhear had been couched in terms that were either decidedly vague or—even he recognized—absurdly boastful, but…well, that still had to be better than enduring any more of this.

"Are you sure?"

Alastor looked a little relieved—although Severus suspected that if he said 'no' Alastor would go on trying to explain—so he nodded quickly. "I'm sure."

"Well, if you've any questions, you can always ask me. Suppose that might seem a little strange, given I'm a confirmed bachelor and all, but I _have_ occasionally…." He cleared his throat. "You just shouldn't hesitate to ask, understand?"

"No, sir," Severus said immediately, and then corrected himself. "I mean, yes, sir, I won't." But only after he'd exhausted every single other resource he could find. And he was going to very seriously edit any mention of Lily from now on.

"If—if you don't want to talk about it, I'm sure I could find you a book," Alastor offered after a moment of silence.

"That's okay, really." It was a better option than him actually having to start this sort of conversation again, he supposed, but if it came to that he'd just as soon find a book himself. Relieved or not, Alastor still didn't look as though he was entirely convinced, and if a chime hadn't sounded, Severus didn't know what he'd have done.

"What's that?" Severus asked. It wasn't the doorbell, and they had yet to replace the clock that Severus had destroyed after the disastrous visit to Spinners End. He didn't think they'd left anything on the stove, but maybe....

"Someone I haven't authorized wants to use the Floo," Alastor answered.

Severus practically bounced to his feet, glad for an excuse to leave the room. "I'll go see who it is." It wouldn't be Fabian or Gideon—he knew they were both authorized—but maybe it was another Auror. Or one of the Weasleys was visiting.

"Ask before you open it!" Alastor called down the hall after him.

Severus paused in front of the fireplace, hearing the uneven thump that indicated that Alastor was coming down the hall to join him, but since he'd only been told to check who it was, not to wait, he knelt and drew his wand. It only took a second to active the spell to open the Floo for communication only. "Hello? Who is this, please?" he asked, leaning through.

"Alexander Moody," a deep voice snapped. "Who are you?"

Severus frowned, uncertain if he should answer. The man on the other side of the Floo _looked_ a good deal like Alastor, albeit considerably heavier, but given that he'd never actually met any of Alastor's family…. He pulled his head back out and turned to look at Alastor. "He says he's Alexander Moody."

"Hm. Can't think of anyone who'd want to claim that _except_ Alexander. But what he would want…." Alastor shook his head and drew his wand, gesturing Severus back

Severus moved back behind Alastor's shoulder as Alastor opened the Floo fully.

"Alastor," the man Severus had seen greeted, stepping through.

"Alexander." Alastor's tone was just as guarded. "Severus, this is my brother Alexander; Alexander, Severus Snape."

As Severus had already noted, the man was considerably heavier than Alastor, but they were approximately the same height and their facial features were fairly similar. From the expression on the man's face, he wouldn't be particularly thrilled if Severus addressed him by his given name, so Severus settled for offering his hand and an appropriately neutral "It's nice to meet you."

Alexander grunted slightly, barely making contact.

"Alastor, I'm going to go…feed Aberdeen," Severus said in the silence that followed. He could feel the tension in the room, and he didn't like it. He didn't think it was _entirely_ his fault, but it definitely seemed that he'd been right about how Alastor's family felt about him.

Alastor gave him a slight nod, and after another quick, "It was nice to meet you," directed at Alexander, he made his escape.

"'Alastor'?" Severus heard Alexander ask as he shut the door behind him. "I'd think you'd have the sense to teach the boy proper respect, since he obviously hasn't any manners to speak of. Couldn't even give his name properly when I asked."

Severus flushed again, the sound of blood rushing in his ears drowning out Alastor's response. He _wasn't_ disrespectful. Well, not to Alastor, anyway—and not to anyone, mostly. Not counting a few of the idiots at Hogwarts. Just because he didn't go about giving his name to complete strangers….

Unwilling to be caught eavesdropping, he hurried off to the kitchen to get a few scraps and then retreated to his room. Alastor's door was still shut when he was coming back down the hall, so whatever Alexander—Mr. Moody? Now he wasn't sure what name was appropriate—had stopped by for, it obviously was neither a quick nor a public matter.


	30. AU: Friends and Family

_Thanks to everyone who read and especially to those who reviewed._

* * *

"Severus?" There was a light tap on the door. "Are you still awake?"

Severus nodded and sat up, putting his book on the nightstand. "I'm awake."

Alastor came in, settling himself on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry," Severus apologized as soon as he was seated.

"For what, lad?"

"I heard what he said…I'll remember to call you 'sir' when we go over to their house." He couldn't help flushing. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"You'll do no such thing," Alastor said firmly. "It's taken me long enough to get you to _stop_ calling me 'sir', I'm certainly not going to encourage you to start again. And you didn't embarrass me…just what did you hear that would make you think that?"

"He said that it was disrespectful for me to call you 'Alastor'."

Alastor shook his head and rapped Severus lightly on the bridge of his nose. "Alexander is an arse, laddie. Always has been, always will be. You're not to pay him any mind when he gets like that."

"But if we're going over to his house for Christmas…." He wasn't stupid enough to think that he could get away with just _ignoring_ the master of the house.

"Actually, I think we might be going over for Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas; that was one of the things that Alexander came over to talk about. Apparently Eric—Alexander's son—and his wife have somewhere else to be Christmas day." Alastor waved a hand, dismissing the matter. "That's neither here nor there, though. I expect you be appropriately respectful while we're visiting, though I've never known you to be particularly _dis_respectful, so I can't say I'm worried about that, but if he or any of the others tell you to do something that you know full well that I _wouldn't_ ask or expect, you've a perfect right to tell them 'no'. Understood?"

Severus nodded, although he wasn't entirely sure that he believed it. In his experience, it was just best to go along with things until they were over. Besides, half the time he still called Alastor 'sir' by mistake anyway.

Alastor shook his head and continued. "And if he does try forcing the issue, you're to tell me and I'll tell him where he can—" He stopped and cleared his throat. "Well, never mind that. Suffice to say you can tell me, and I'll deal with it. All right?"

"Yes, sir," Severus agreed automatically, and then flushed as Alastor tapped his nose again. "Mean, yes, Alastor."

"Much better. And I seem to recall talking to you before about eavesdropping. You'll never hear anything good that way."

"I didn't mean to," he protested. "He was just…loud."

"Aye, well, he is at that." Alastor indicated the book on the nightstand. "Would you rather finish your book and go to bed, or would you be up for a game of chess?"

"I'll play," Severus agreed quickly. He was curious why Alexander, or Mr. Moody, or whatever he was supposed to call Alastor's brother had stopped by…Alastor had said that discussing their Christmas plans had been one reason, which implied that there were more. But since Alastor didn't seem inclined to explain, he wasn't sure if he should ask. After all, it wasn't as though it was really any of his business.

* * *

Severus glared at his Transfiguration essay. Alastor had had to go back to work today, and for lack of anything better to do he'd decided to get his work done also, but it was just _not_ going well. And he still thought it was kind of stupid that he was wasting his time on Transfiguration anyway when he even wouldn't be taking the class next year. He was just no good at it.

With a sigh, he pushed his book away and stood. Maybe a walk would help clear his head. He scribbled a quick note on a piece of parchment for Alastor—even if he didn't plan to be gone long, he really didn't want to deal with _that_ kind of trouble on holiday—and then transfigured his robes, grabbed his cloak, and headed for the door.

It was grey and wet out—neither condition exactly unusual for winter—but he splashed along easily enough. Although he could feel his toes starting to press against the front of his boots…he'd have to remember to look up an enlarging charm when he got back to Hogwarts.

"Severus! Sev!" a boy's voice called.

He paused, frowning at the nickname, and then turned to find the Muggle boy he'd met this summer, Brian, hurrying towards him.

"Hey, are you home for the holidays?" Brian asked.

"Clearly." Which was only marginally more polite than 'obviously,' the first thought that had sprung to mind.

Brian either didn't notice or just didn't care as he came up beside Severus. "So how long are you home for?"

"Until just after New Years."

"Yeah, that's when school starts again for me too. Are you doing anything?"

"What? For the holidays?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, I meant right now."

Severus shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Yourself?"

"Mum's making a bunch of desserts for us to take to her sister's for Christmas. Sent me to market with a list of things that she needs more of." He waved a scrap of paper. "Do you want to come along? I could really use an extra set of hands, and with the amount of biscuits Mum has been making, she'll never notice if we steal a couple when we get back." He shook his head. "I'm not even sure why she's doing this—it's not as though there are _that_ many people going to be at Aunt Maria's—but Da said something about her making up for all the years that we couldn't go."

Severus shrugged again, unsure of what he was supposed to say to that. "I guess I'll come along." It was something to do, anyway. And besides, he owed the boy for taking him to the film before.

"Brilliant. Hey, that's a cool cloak. It looks warmer than my coat."

Severus realized belatedly that Wizarding winter outerwear was somewhat different than Muggle—he'd transformed his robes into trousers and a shirt, but where he wore a long cloak, Brian was wearing a sort of fitted jacket in a color that was rather too close to Gryffindor red for Severus' tastes—but it seemed as though Brian had just been making an observation. "It was a gift," he said after a moment. It was both the truth, or close enough to it since Alastor had given it to him, and a reasonable excuse for why it wasn't something that would be seen in the shops around here.

"Ah." Brian turned down the next street, and Severus matched paces beside him. "So how has your school year been going? All of my teachers keep going on about O-levels and how we have to study and be prepared…you'd think we were going to be taking them next week the way they carry on! But football has been going well. I didn't make the first team, but my coach thinks that I've a good chance next year if I keep working on my passing and…."

He continued to chatter as they made their way towards the market, a stream of noise that spent a ridiculous amount of time on football—a Muggle sport that Severus only vaguely remembered other children playing in Spinners End—but also covered such things as literature and economics and biology and a dozen other words that Severus would never have thought to associate with school. Brian didn't seem to care that he was, for all intents and purposes, incapable of carrying his portion of the conversation, though; the other boy simply skipped from topic to topic as they occurred to him. It did help Severus with a few appropriate answers when Brian _did_ ask him questions—he preferred chemistry to all other subjects, disliked history, was not particularly interested in sports, and so forth. The rain and snow mix began to fall again as they walked, but Severus' cloak was spelled against water and it didn't seem to bother Brian a great deal either.

"Whoa, this is busier than I thought it would be," Brian observed as they finally entered the shop, dodging backwards as an older woman with an overfull trolley hurried past them.

"You should have seen what London was like a couple days ago," Severus returned. Apparently everyone simply went shopping-crazy around Christmas. "What's on your list?" Although Alastor generally stopped at the market just off Diagon Alley on his way home from work when they were running low on supplies, he and Severus had come here once or twice before when they'd forgotten something small. Severus had a fairly good idea of the layout although getting around was going to be considerably more difficult than usual with so many bodies in the way.

Brian pulled the scrap of paper out of his coat pocket and then frowned, squinting. "Bloody hell, the page got wet and now the ink's run everywhere. Flour, sugar…that says cinnamon, I _think_, but…." He sighed. "Damn it all, I don't want to walk all the way home to get a new list!"

A young woman with two small children frowned at the two of them, probably in response to Brian's language, but Severus ignored her as he leaned over to examine the scrap.

"That is a mess." If _he'd_ been carrying a piece of paper around in this sort of weather, he'd have had the sense to put a water-repelling charm on it, but obviously Muggles didn't have that capability. "I think that one says 'eggs.'"

"Hm." Brian frowned. "Yeah, probably. Well, I guess we can get the things we can read and then try and puzzle out the rest as we go. And hopefully when we get it all back, Mum won't send me out again."

Severus nodded, taking the note from Brian's unresisting hands and then trailing him as he waded into the crowd. After 'cinnamon' seemed to come a collection of other spices…it was highly unlikely that that one actually said 'clods', but perhaps…. His frown deepened. What else could it say?

* * *

"Severus?" Alastor called from the kitchen as Severus stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The weather had worsened considerably since he had left Alastor's this afternoon, and now that the sun was fully down the temperature had fallen as well.

"It's me," he agreed, taking off his cloak and then casting several drying spells on his clothes before transfiguring them back into robes.

"You haven't been out in that mess all day, have you?" Alastor asked, coming to join him. "Lucky you didn't catch your death of cold." He shook his head, expression becoming a bit stern as he cast his own set of spells to remove the water from Severus' cloak. "It was good of you to leave a note, but it's getting a bit late for you to be out wandering—I was starting to get a little worried."

"I'm sorry," Severus apologized quickly, repeating the drying spell on his hair as a few cold water droplets made their way down his now-dry back. "I haven't really been out in that mess except to walk up to the door. I helped Brian with some shopping for his mum earlier this afternoon, and then we were over at his house when it started getting really bad." He shrugged slightly. "I was planning to come home an hour or so ago, but his mother didn't want me out walking when it was so nasty, so I ended up waiting until his father got home and could give me a ride."

"Brian…that's your Muggle friend from this summer, right?"

Severus nodded. "I would have called and told you, but they obviously don't have a Floo, and you don't have a telephone." Or at least he'd never seen any sign of one, and it was a reasonable assumption for a Wizarding household. Even if Alastor did have one, he certainly didn't have the number.

"Hm. Suppose that's true enough. All right, then. But unless there are extenuating circumstances—like the weather—I do expect you home by dinnertime, understand? Suppose if you've a good reason you can go out again after I talk to you, but I don't like the idea of you just wandering around in the dark."

"Yes, sir," Severus agreed, and then corrected himself. "Alastor."

Alastor flicked his forehead lightly but other than that let it pass. "You had fun while you were visiting? And behaved yourself properly?"

He nodded.

"Good lad. What's that you've got there?" Alastor indicated that basket that Mrs.-Brian's-Mum—Severus hadn't been able to remember what Brian's name was and had been too embarrassed to ask when Brian had introduced him to her—had given Severus on his way out the door.

"Some biscuits and such. Brian's mother has been baking most of the day, making things for a family Christmas party—that's why Brian needed help bringing stuff home from the market—and she said these were extras." Of course, he kind of had a feeling that the sheer _weight_ of the basket was related to his admission that his mum had passed away last year, but he wasn't sure what else he could have said when she asked about his parents. It had been easy enough to cheat a little and talk about Alastor when she asked about his father since Alastor _was_ the adult male currently raising him, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to pretend that his mother was still alive when she'd started asking direct questions.

"That was kind of her. Have to remember to put something nice in it when we return it." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose you're all filled up on sweets and aren't going to be hungry for dinner?"

"Probably not," Severus admitted. Mrs.-Brian's-Mum had cut off their official biscuit intake fairly early in the afternoon, after they'd finished tea, but Brian had been surprisingly clever about swiping extras and had kept them well-supplied while they watched various programs on the television and played what he called bored games. Severus had thought that it was fairly strange to name a category of games after how you felt before you started playing them, but then Muggles had strange names for many things.

Alastor shook his head uncrossed his arms, picking up the basket. "Well, I suppose once won't hurt you, but you'd best not make that a habit. And I am hungry, so why don't you come and sit with me and you can tell me what Muggle youngsters are doing for entertainment nowadays."

Severus nodded agreeably enough. Some of the Muggle game-shows had actually been rather fascinating…he'd had absolutely no knowledge of what Brian had called 'pop' culture, and very little on Muggle current events, but he'd known a few answers in most of the other categories. And he wondered if there were Wizarding versions of a few of the bored games.

It didn't take long to finish dinner—Alastor had obviously made it sometime earlier and had simply been waiting on Severus to eat, which made Severus feel a little guilty—and the two of them cleaned the dishes as Severus finished detailing his activities of the day.

"Um, Alastor?" Severus asked, after he finished explaining the concept of Monopoly.

"Hm?"

"Can you maybe help me with my transfiguration homework after we're done? I started it earlier, and it wasn't going so well. That's actually why I went for a walk in the first place."

Alastor gave him a quick smile. "Aye, I suppose I could do that. Why don't you run and fetch it while I finish up here?"

* * *

Severus looked up at the big manor house and tried to keep his apprehension in check. So far the holiday had gone well. Since Alastor had had to go back to work, most days he'd stayed at home, but once he'd gone back to Brian's and once he got to go to the Ministry with Alastor even though he mostly had to stay in the Aurors' offices. And then in the evenings it was either just he and Alastor, or he and Alastor and the Prewetts. Well, and once Caradoc and Marlene as well, but he liked Caradoc well enough and was getting used to Marlene. Either way, it was easy to pretend that the summer had never ended, and he'd never had to deal with Hogwarts. But now he was standing in front of Alexander Moody's house, a man he already knew didn't like him very much, and he was almost wishing _for_ Hogwarts. At least he knew what to expect there.

If Alastor noticed his uncertainty, he didn't show any sign, raising the hand that wasn't resting on Severus' neck to rap sharply on the door.

The door opened a moment later, revealing a decidedly pale, skeletal woman, resembling nothing so much as a three-day old corpse. Alastor bowed. "Veronica, you're looking even lovelier than usual."

Severus decided that that was being absurdly polite, unless of course she'd looked like a _four_-day old corpse the last time Alastor had seen her, but he had enough sense to keep his mouth shut and simply give a deeper bow. He knew from Alastor that Veronica was Alexander's wife and the lady of the house.

"Come in," she directed them, her voice as lifeless as her appearance.

Alastor waved at the trunk of gifts they'd brought to follow them in and then gestured for Severus to precede him.

Alexander appeared as they entered the main hallway, greeting both Severus and Alastor with a sneer, before turning and barking, "Matthew!"

A boy, probably a year or two younger than Severus, hurried in from another room to join them. "Yes, Father? Hello, Uncle Alastor."

Alastor gave him a quick greeting in return before Alexander spoke again. "This is Snape. Why don't you keep him…occupied…while your uncles and I are talking?"

"Yes, Father."

Severus caught an exasperated look on Alastor's face when he glanced over, but after a moment his guardian gestured for him to go ahead. And as much as he didn't really want to be separated from Alastor, he didn't really want to spend any more time in Alexander Moody's company than absolutely necessary, either, so he nodded obediently and moved towards the boy.

He was led through several rooms and then up two flights of stairs and through another set of rooms—Severus was starting to worry about getting lost—before the boy actually said anything. "Snape?"

"Severus Snape," Severus corrected. "'Severus' is fine. You're Matthew Moody, I assume?"

"Yeah," he agreed, and then gave Severus a sidelong glance. "You really live with Uncle Alastor?"

"Yes. Since last summer."

Matthew made a face, and Severus reminded himself that hexing his host's son would be a very bad idea. "What? Do you have a problem with that?"

"Don't you think he's kind of…creepy? I mean, with the leg and the crutch and everything. And he's always angry about something."

"He's not," Severus objected immediately. "Not creepy, and not angry either." Well, it was possible that Alastor _was_ always angry when he was visiting this place, if he and his brothers really got along as badly as Alastor had indicated, but he wasn't like that at home. "He's…great."

Matthew didn't seem too convinced, making one last turn into what was obviously a teenager's room and flopping down on the bed. And then he winced and flipped over onto his stomach.

Severus looked around and then took a chair. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Mum and Da weren't very pleased with my half-term Potions marks."

He shrugged slightly, obviously dismissing the matter, but Severus couldn't help thinking of his own less-than-perfect Transfiguration marks. Silence fell between them for several minutes, and then Matthew looked over.

"So you go to Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"What's it like? One of the older boys when I first started school was there for the last Tri-Wizard tournament and used to tell stories about this crazy ceiling in the dining hall."

"The Great Hall? Yeah, it has a charmed ceiling." Severus shrugged. He didn't really think about it any more…he didn't think anyone did, much past the first few weeks of their first year. "It's kind of cool, I guess. You go to Durmstrag, right?"

"Yeah. Hey," He rolled to his feet, digging around in a chest of drawers. "Do you like Quidditch?"

Severus shrugged again, biting back a groan at the idea that he might be spending the next few hours around some kind of Quidditch nut. And a few of the posters on the wall indicated that that might be the case. Still, he could be polite when he had to...he still thought it might be better than being around Alastor's brother. "I don't mind it, I guess."

"One of my roommates gave me this before the holidays. Check it out."

Severus moved obediently to look over the other boy's shoulder. The object he held looked about like a regular snitch—of course, he _wasn't_ a Quidditch-obsessed maniac like some of his classmates were, so it was possible that he was missing something subtle—and he reached out to nudge it slightly. "A snitch?"

"An altitude-_controlled_ snitch. Can play indoors and not have to worry about it hovering up to the ceiling where you can't reach it and staying there all day. A bunch of them got loosed in the lower corridors right before the hols—you should have seen them flying around everywhere, getting people tangled all up. The professors just about went mad trying to catch them all." He stepped back and tossed it up, batting it towards Severus.

Severus ducked automatically and then swatted it away from his ear and back towards Matthew. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Because all things considered, he was pretty bloody sure that it wasn't.

"As long as we stay in here, we'll be fine. Ellen never comes up to this floor, Eric and Anna and the brat aren't here yet—and Da's in a mood about _that_, let me tell you—and everyone else is downstairs. Come on, I'm bored out of my skull not being able to go outside because of the weather. I mean, I can't read _all_ day. Can you?"

Severus was actually quite capable of reading all day, and for several days in a row at that, but Matthew swatted the snitch at him again, and he almost instinctively batted it back. The thing's preservation instinct apparently kicked in at that point, because it jumped Matthew's head and began to zigzag around the room.

"What, are you scared?" Matthew asked when he made no move to grab it when it shot past him, and Severus' jaw tightened. He _hated_ being called scared, or a coward, or anything like that, just because he could see when things obviously weren't a good idea when his classmates were too dunderheaded to figure it out.

"I am _not_."

"Then come on!" Matthew jumped at the snitch, sending it swerving back towards Severus.

Part of Severus—most of Severus—could see that this wasn't a very good idea, but…well, it was Matthew's room, and it was enough of a mess that even if they tripped over or spilled something he didn't think it would make too much of a difference. It was certainly large enough to play in; several times the size of Severus' own. And if nothing else, it would help burn off some of the nervous energy that had been building since he'd realized yesterday afternoon that today was the day he'd be visiting Alastor's family.


	31. AU: To Tell

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Sorry it's taking me so long to update...it hasn't (and won't be) abandoned, but I'll try and do better in the future.  
_

* * *

Severus stepped backwards, trying to position himself so that he could grab the snitch no matter which way it went. Not that he didn't think that this was still a stupid idea, but….

The snitch swerved wildly, and he lunged after it. And tripped over a robe lying discarded on the floor. He flailed, trying to stay upright, but ended up overbalancing and falling back against the door, barely managing to catch the knob in his hand. Unfortunately, unlike a _normal_ person's bedroom door, Matthew's opened outward, and Severus yelped as he was deposited on the floor of the hallway.

"Bloody hell!" Matthew yelled as the snitch flew over Severus' head and out of the room. "Catch it before it gets away!"

Easier said than done, especially since Matthew bowled him over again as he raced out of the room after the snitch, but Severus scrambled to his feet and dashed after it as well anyway. He could already see the way that this was going to end; the damn thing was going to make its way downstairs and cause a huge fuss in front of a large group of people, none of whom, excepting Alastor, of course, were at all predisposed to like him.

He'd brought his wand, but unless he wanted someone from the Ministry to turn up and cite him for underage magic—and wouldn't _that_ make a good impression—he couldn't even use it to stun the bloody thing. Why hadn't he refused to play the stupid game?

He paused at an intersection in the corridors and then took off down the left-hand passage as a snatch of a curse in Matthew's voice reached him. Maybe Alastor would come looking for them first for some reason. If, for once in his life, he was that lucky, it might be all right…they'd probably get a few stern words for 'mischief' after Alastor stunned the thing, that and probably a strongly worded suggestion that they play outdoors, but beyond that he didn't think that Alastor wouldn't be too upset. He snorted. Of course, he'd been hoping to please Alastor by staying _out_ of trouble during this visit, but that plan was obviously already well and truly mangled.

There was a yell followed almost immediately by a thud as he rounded the next corner, and as he skidded around it, he saw Matthew lying at the base of a tall pedestal with a huge, hideous vase sitting on top of it. And then, almost in slow motion, he watched said huge, hideous vase slowly topple off and crash to the floor.

Time returned to its normal speed as the thing hit the floor, and the sound of shards of glass scattering everywhere as it shattered had to have been audible all the way up at Hogwarts. It was, or had been, at least, almost as big as Severus was, so that probably shouldn't have come as a surprise. When silence fell again, Severus found himself staring at a swath of glass chips spread all across the floor. Barely half a dozen of the billion or so were wider than the palm of his hand.

Matthew slowly pushing himself back to his feet, obviously having slipped and fallen against the pedestal in his haste to retrieve the snitch, and Severus looked at him for a long moment. "We're dead, aren't we?"

Matthew nodded unhappily. "Yes. Great Aunt Ermintrude brought that back from Merlin-knows-where about a million years ago, and according to Mum, it's totally irreplaceable."

Severus remembered the single glance he'd got of the thing while it was still intact and wondered whether it was irreplaceable not because of any great intrinsic value but because nobody with any taste _wanted_ them any more, but he had more sense than to say anything. "It can probably be repaired," he offered as Matthew got to his feet. It would already _be_ repaired if he could use his bloody wand…he couldn't see _Reparo_ working any differently on a glass vase than the glass statues Flitwick had used to teach them the spell way back in first year Charms. Of course, he might have to use the spell a few hundred _times_ to get everything back where it should be, but…. He looked at the mess for a minute longer and then sighed. "Well, I guess we'd better go get somebody." Preferably Alastor, at least from his point of view. "Did you at least catch the snitch?"

"Are you _mad_?" Matthew exclaimed.

Severus frowned. "It was just a question." Maybe he was supposed to have asked if Matthew was all right, first. He probably was…he'd never had been any good at remembering things like that. He shook his head and tried to explain. "I mean, if you'd managed to catch it, we could say we were sorry and we'd fixed the problem. It couldn't hurt."

"What? No, I caught the snitch," Matthew held up his hand and showed it deactivated in his palm, "but you want to _tell_ someone about this?"

Severus stared pointedly at the stretch of glass shards. "Even if they _didn't_ hear that crash all the way back in London—and I wouldn't bet on it, if I were you—I think someone is bound to notice at some point."

* * *

Severus kept his head down, his eyes locked firmly on his boot tops, and refrained from burying his face in his hands and groaning only by great force of will.

As he'd feared, the crash had been audible down where the adults had been speaking—apparently this hallway was almost right above the sitting room, further proof that he had the worst luck in the whole world—and Alastor and Alexander had appeared on short order. And while Severus hadn't been at all happy to see Alexander, he was pretty sure that he'd seen a flash of amusement cross Alastor's face when he'd seen the wreckage that had given him some hope that they might get out of this relatively unscathed.

Except that then, rather than freely admitting what had happened and pleading for forgiveness as Severus had intended to do, Matthew had hidden the snitch somewhere and gone and made up some completely asinine story about an open window, and water on the floor, and the two of them seeing a shadow in the hall, and…. Severus shook his head minutely. The story had been ridiculous enough to start with, but then, when it had become obvious that neither adult believed him—neither of them being a complete and total idiot, after all—Matthew had gone on and elaborated _more_. At this point…well, Severus didn't think he'd involved any garden gnomes or dragons yet, but he suspected that it was only a matter of time.

"Severus," Alastor said sharply, interrupting Matthew's torrent of words, and Severus gulped and lifted his head from the floor.

"Yes, sir?"

"Is that what happened?"

And there was the question that he'd been dreading. Severus dropped his gaze back to his boots. The choices were simple enough; he'd recognized that as soon as Matthew had started speaking: either back Matthew or admit what had really happened. Unless Alastor's views had altered greatly in the short time he'd been at school—which Severus very much doubted, no matter what those books Miss Eustace had given him had said—doing the former meant getting a whipping for sure given how obvious it was that Matthew was lying. If he picked the latter, he was _almost_ as sure that Alastor would let him off lightly, maybe with lines or some time in his room at worst, except…. He bit his lip. Except that he wasn't a coward or a whiny little five year old to go tattling. To go ratting out someone else. Which was pretty much what declaring that Matthew was lying would be doing. He wouldn't even do that to the Moronic Marauders. Well, okay, he _might_ do that to the Marauders if he thought he had even half a chance of being believed, but that was different.

His hands clenched and unclenched as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. Why hadn't Matthew just told them the truth about what had happened? Or at least made up a story that was less _stupid_? Severus had learned to lie quite well to keep himself out of trouble with his grandparents; if Matthew had made up anything even remotely plausible, Severus could probably have added the appropriate details to make it believable. But shadows and open windows in halls that didn't even _have_ windows and—

"Severus, I asked you a question," Alastor prompted after a minute, voice stern.

"Yes, sir. I…." He bit his lip again. He wasn't a coward or a rat. "Yes, that's what happened." He didn't manage to make his voice sound believable even to _him_, but then, given how idiotic the whole story was, it probably didn't matter anyway.

There was a snort. "I'd say a sound caning will do the both of you a world of good," Alexander said, reaching out to grab Matthew by the collar. "I don't know what happened, but that's a load of rubbish, and everyone here knows it. We'll see if you aren't feeling a good bit more honest when I've finished with you."

Severus couldn't exactly disagree, but the jitters he felt had become immeasurably worse at the mention of a cane. Alastor had said that _he _wouldn't use a cane, but—

"I'll deal with Severus myself, privately," Alastor cut in, and if his voice was still hard, Severus couldn't help but be just a little bit relieved. At least he'd only get the punishment he expected. Even if it was still going to be awful.

From a quick glance at Alexander's expression, Severus suspected that he wasn't overly pleased with Alastor's interruption—or declaration—but he didn't actually make any objection. Matthew's pleas becoming more frantic as he was dragged off down the hall, but Severus had his own hide to worry about, and a hand on the back of his neck a moment later made him start. It was only Alastor, though, and he didn't even try to resist as he was guided into one of the rooms off the hallway. A quick glance around told him that it was a bedroom, probably a spare judging by the unused feel of the place. The bed, with its floral duvet that made him think unhappily of the ugly pattern that had once wound around the broken vase, took up most of the room, but he couldn't help a gulp at the sight of a desk over in one corner. It wasn't as large as the one at home, but it would work well enough.

Alastor cast a silencing spell as the door shut behind them, and if Severus had been inclined to feel grateful, he might have, just because he didn't need everyone hearing him cry.

"Look at me, Severus."

Severus lifted his chin slightly.

"Alexander may not be my favorite person in the world, but he was right enough about that story being rubbish. Do you remember what the punishment is for lying?"

He dropped his eyes back to the floor did his best to keep down the sob that wanted to escape. It wouldn't do any good, and he didn't want to start crying before his punishment even began. "I get a whipping with your b-belt." Which right now, he realized, meant Alastor's dress belt, wider and probably heavier than the worn brown one he'd used to punish Severus before. Somehow this hadn't seemed like _quite_ such a bad idea when he'd decided to support Matthew as it did now that it was about to happen.

"Aye." Alastor's voice was still stern. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"No, sir." There was no point, anyway.

"Suppose we'd best get this over with, then. I won't tolerate lying."

His hands went to his belt buckle, and Severus glanced at the desk one more time and then took a step backwards, despite himself.

"Severus."

"_Please_, Alastor, can't it wait until we get home?" Not that he thought Alastor was going to forget about it over dinner or anything like that—although that would be nice—but at least there he knew exactly what to expect. However much it hurt, he would have his own bed afterward, and then Alastor would sit with him if he wanted to lie down on the couch. He wasn't sure what would happen here, except that he was going to have to sit down to dinner shortly afterward, no matter how badly he felt.

"Are you sure?" Alastor asked, reaching out and tilting his chin back up. "Might be best to have it done with. I daresay you won't feel much like eating with it hanging over your head, and Matthew's in for a sound thrashing of his own so you won't be the only lad standing at the table if you don't feel like sitting for the meal."

Severus shrugged and then nodded. "Home, please." He'd still rather it happen there, and given the tension he'd felt around Alastor's relatives earlier, he doubted that he was going to feel very much like eating anyway.

Alastor seemed to consider for a moment, and then he nodded. "All right, then, I suppose that's fair enough. You'll stay here until you're called down to dinner though, understood?"

* * *

Severus ignored the scowls Matthew was shooting in his direction. Dinner had been about as uncomfortable as he'd expected. Aside from the atmosphere in the room, Alastor had been right about Matthew choosing to stand through the meal, which hadn't exactly made him feel any better about his own impending doom. The food had probably been good, but he hadn't managed to do much more than pick at it.

Afterward, they'd all retired to the sitting room…it wasn't as though Severus had any real _desire_ to spend any more time around Alastor's relatives than he had to, especially considering the glares he was receiving from Alexander and the fact that the conversation consisted mostly of stilted references to people that Severus neither knew nor had any desire to know, but at least glued to Alastor's side, he didn't have to worry about getting in any more trouble.

Unfortunately, Alastor didn't seem to recognize that, because not long after they'd sat down, he nudged Severus' shoulder lightly. "Why don't you go on with Matthew for a bit? Can't be too interesting for you sitting around here. Though mind you stay out of any more mischief."

Despite the wording, it obviously wasn't really a suggestion, and Severus nodded and stood awkwardly, making his way over to the other boy. Who had apparently received a similar suggestion from his mother, although he didn't look overly happy about it either.

"Come on," Matthew said, his tone more than slightly cross.

Severus followed him back up to his room—it was a much shorter route from the sitting room—and once again took a seat on the chair. Matthew laid back down on his stomach on the bed, seemingly content to glare at him. "'m sorry?" Severus finally offered after a good twenty or thirty minutes had passed and even he couldn't pretend any more interest in the floorboards. Even if playing with that stupid snitch had been Matthew's stupid idea, and even if Matthew had been the one to break the vase, he had technically been the one to let the thing out of the room so he supposed he owed the other boy that much.

"Yeah, _right_," Matthew spit. "_You_ can still sit down. _You _didn't get striped with the cane and then get double because Da found out about us playing with the snitch inside."

'Found out' most likely because Matthew had finally had the sense to tell the truth, but Severus didn't bother to point that out as he shrugged and looked down to study the floor again. "Alastor's going to whip me when we get home," he admitted after a minute. "I'll be plenty sore then." Although he probably wouldn't get any extra even if he did admit why the vase had actually broken—given what had happened the last time he'd lied, Severus wasn't about to lie again if Alastor repeated the question after he'd been punished—he wasn't going to bring that up. He looked up again with a glare of his own. "Anyway, if you'd just told the truth in the _first place_, maybe neither of us would have been in trouble."

Matthew scowled again at that, but before he could say anything, a light knock on the open door frame caught their attention.

"Severus?" Alastor asked. "Are you ready to go?"

Severus pushed himself to his feet. "Yes, sir."


	32. AU: First Christmas

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Slightly shorter chapter than usual, but I'm not sure when I'll get to editing the next part so I should probably go ahead and get this part out._

_WARNING—corporal punishment of a teenager in this chapter._

* * *

No words were spoken as they apparated home, and Severus wasn't surprised that Alastor took him into the study as soon as they'd shed their cloaks.

"Is there any point in discussing this any further?" Alastor asked.

Severus hung his head. "No, sir."

"All right, then." He flicked his fingers at the desk, sending a few papers floating over to the bookshelf. "Bend over and lift your robes. _Accio_ work belt."

Severus looked up in surprise at that—he'd fully expected Alastor to use the dress belt he was wearing—but when Alastor just nodded at the desk again, he swallowed hard and did as he was told.

"You know better than to lie, Severus."

Severus didn't even try to respond, and the first stroke made him yelp and squirm as tears—more tears, anyway; a few had already come unbidden when the order to get ready had been given—welled up in his eyes. Somehow he'd forgotten how much Alastor's belt _hurt_.

The second drew another yelp, and said tears began to fall, and on the third stroke Severus gave up any attempt at any kind of stoicism and began to cry in earnest. Alastor might have granted him a slight reprieve in using a marginally lighter belt than he could have, but it wasn't much of a reprieve, and it definitely didn't feel like he was sparing his arm.

A broad hand came to rest on his back, stilling his instinctive attempts to escape the pain, as stroke number four cracked down overlapping one of the previous strokes, and the flow of tears increased even as Severus wished that that could be the end of it. Except that considering how Alastor felt about lying—

He sobbed at the fifth stroke, and then there was nothing to do but cling to the desk and continue to cry as he waited for the sixth. That, and hope that Alastor would decide that six was sufficient, because he wouldn't be able to _stand_ any more.

Another sob tore from his throat as Alastor's belt landed again, and it was several moments after it was delivered before he recognized Alastor's voice signaling the end of his punishment and a hand on his arm urging him to stand.

"There'll be no more lying, aye?" Alastor asked when he was upright again.

"N-n-no, s-sir," Severus managed, trying to stem the flow of tears.

"All right, then." A hand squeezed his neck lightly. "Good lad."

Severus thought that that was kind of a stupid thing to say to someone who'd just been severely punished for _not_ being good, but he wasn't going to argue about it as Alastor retrieved his crutch and took Severus down the hall to his room, leaving him to cry out the rest of his tears into his pillow. He knew full well that he'd be fine tomorrow, but right now it felt like he wasn't going to be able to sit comfortably again until he was back at Hogwarts. If then. He wrapped his arms around his pillow and pulled it close as another sob escaped. Lying hadn't even been his idea in the _first_ place!

* * *

"Severus?" Alastor asked some amount of time later, after Severus' tears had subsided to only the occasional sniffle. "Are you awake?"

An unhappy '_No_' escaped before Severus thought better of it, but there was only a deep chuckle from somewhere behind him, and then there was the sound of uneven footsteps and the bed dipped as Alastor took a seat on the edge. The smell of pumpkin was suddenly heavy in the air, and Severus' stomach grumbled in spite of himself.

"I thought you might be a bit hungry, given that you didn't do much more than pick at dinner," Alastor after a minute. "Molly said we weren't to cut the pie until Christmas, but I daresay it's close enough."

Tomorrow was Christmas, wasn't it? Severus sniffled again. It didn't feel like it. And he didn't want to roll over and talk to Alastor, either. Except…well, he _was_ hungry, and pie _did_ sound good, and…. He waited another minute and then scrubbed his face against his pillow one last time and shifted onto his side, finding Alastor sitting beside him holding two plates.

"There's a good lad." Alastor set one of the plates down in front of him and then gave his back a quick rub before picking up the fork on his own plate.

Severus stomach grumbled again, and he pulled one of his arms out from under him and picked up his own fork, starting the piece in front of him. They ate in silence for a minute—for one, Molly was a good baker, and for another, Severus wasn't sure what he was supposed to say—and then Alastor finally spoke.

"Don't suppose you'd care to tell me what actually happened today, now, would you? Can't understand why you'd do something so foolish when you know full well how I feel about lying."

Severus swallowed his current mouthful quickly and then shrugged, focusing on his fork. He'd expected Alastor to ask that question immediately after the whipping, honestly, but apparently Alastor hadn't wanted to risk getting angry or repeating what had happened after Severus' first whipping when he'd lied a second time. Which Severus could appreciate, even if he was still bloody sore, although it might just have been that Alastor hadn't thought that he'd understand anything Severus said at that point anyway.

"Severus?"

Severus shrugged again. From what Matthew had said, he'd already admitted everything—even if it had been too late to do either of them any good—so it wouldn't matter if Severus told now anyway. "It was an accident. Matthew had an altitude-controlled snitch, and we were playing in his room, but I tripped and accidentally opened the door and it got out. We were trying to catch before it caused any harm when Matthew fell against the pedestal and knocked the vase off."

There was a long pause, followed by the clink of a fork against china and Alastor tilting his chin up, forcing Severus to meet his eyes. "Why in Merlin's name didn't you just _say that_, Severus? Aye, it was a bit foolish of the two of you to be running about indoors, but an apology and cleaning up your mess would have been acceptable enough. I'd not have thrashed you for an honest accident."

Well, at least he'd been right about what Alastor's response would have been if his partner in crime—or at least in stupidity—hadn't been a total idiot, Severus supposed, even if it didn't make much of a difference now. "I know. And that's what I was going to do, I _swear_, but Matthew started talking and made up that ridiculous story before I could say anything, and…." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"And what?" Alastor prompted.

"I couldn't just say that he was lying."

There was a longer pause, and then, "Ah. Suppose that honor code would be still alive and well with youngsters." Alastor sighed and rubbed Severus' back again lightly. "It was a brave thing for you to do, I'll give you that, though maybe not the wisest thing."

He wasn't the only one that felt that way, and Severus' chin dropped back to his chest.

Alastor sighed again. "All right, lad. It was a whipping you were promised, and it's a whipping you got, so it's over and done with. From now on, I expect to hear the truth when I ask you a question, even if it's difficult, understand?"

"Yes, sir." Alastor tilted his chin up again, rapping a knuckle against his forehead gently, and he flushed. "Yes, Alastor."

"That's better. Now you'd best finish that pie, or Molly will think you don't like it."

* * *

Severus yawned at sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. It was earlier than he usually got up, but then he had gone to bed pretty early last night, so…. He blinked, suddenly much more awake. It was Christmas. Yesterday might not have felt much like Christmas Eve, but today was definitely Christmas, and he knew there were presents waiting for him. Several were from Alastor, judging by the names on the package, but he'd seen ones from Fabian and Gideon and Molly and Arthur and even Marlene as well that were for him. And he needed to put out Alastor's gifts as well.

He pulled them from his bookshelf and was on his feet and halfway to the door before it occurred to him that he was fifteen years old—nearly sixteen, in fact—and it wouldn't do for him to go waking Alastor up like an overanxious five year old. Especially at this hour. The sensible thing to do would be to lie down and go back to sleep, and when he woke up again at a more reasonable time, Alastor would probably already _be_ up.

He fidgeted in place. Except that it was Christmas, and even though he'd spent almost all of his holidays at Hogwarts since he'd started school, that hadn't changed his enjoyment of it. Honestly, it had probably increased it since it meant that his grandparents weren't around to pick at him, and Mum had always managed to send him—

That thought was enough to sober him immediately, and he stepped back and sank down on the edge of his bed and tried to ignore the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Mum was gone. He knew that. He knew that there weren't going to be any special treats from her this year: no special biscuits from a new recipe she'd decided to try, no interesting little volume that she'd found tucked away on a shelf somewhere, nothing. But somehow….

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there staring off into space when there was a light knock on the door and Alastor stuck his head in. "Severus? Are you awa—ah, well, I see that you are." He smiled, but it faded almost immediately. "What's wrong, lad?"

"Nothing."

"Severus…."

"Mum's gone," he said quietly.

There was silence for a minute, and then Alastor sank down beside him. "Aye, and this will be your first Christmas without her, won't it?"

Severus nodded, leaning into the pressure on his neck automatically.

"Would you like to lie down for awhile longer?" Alastor asked after a minute. "I can sit with you, if you like."

Severus shook his head.

"How about we go get some toast and juice, then? Daresay a piece of pie isn't a very good dinner for a youngling; you ought to be hungry by now."

He shook his head again. He probably should be hungry, but he really wasn't.

"Do you want to go to wherever she's laid? I'll take you. Suppose I should have thought to offer before."

Severus shook his head again. "She's at the Prince estate." He couldn't go back there, not even for Mum.

"Ah."

"How come it hurts now?" he found himself asking. "It hasn't been like this for…I don't know." Well, it had still _hurt_—it had never really stopped—but not so sharply.

Alastor squeezed his neck again gently. "Holidays are always the hardest, I'm afraid."

"'s not fair."

"No, it isn't." Alastor stood, urging him up as well. "Come along. We'll have that juice and toast, and we'll see what you want to do after that."


	33. AU:  Presents and Parties

_I got a question about why Severus seems to cry fairly easily when he's punished. This is just my opinion, but I never found him to be a particularly stoic character even as an adult. _Brave_, absolutely, but if he feels something, he shows it. In the series it involved mostly ranting/raving/throwing jars/etc. when he was angry, but there were a few glimpses of other things in his childhood memories as well. Not to mention that his nickname isn't exactly the kind of thing that would be given to someone who just went around glaring at people a lot…granted that it was probably Black or Potter being obnoxious when they started calling him that, but the idea had to come from somewhere. Anyway, short version, if he had a real reason to stay silent, he might, but so far he hasn't._

_

* * *

_

Severus' hand tightened on Alastor's cloak almost of its own volition as they crossed the anti-apparition wards. Alastor had promised that he could keep them hidden from any kind of wards his grandparents might have put around Mum's grave for at least a little while, especially since her grave was in the family plot on the southern end of the estate about as far from the manor as one could get, but being _here_ again….

"I'm right here, lad. Nobody's going to bother you. Go on."

He reminded himself firmly that as long as Alastor could take care of the wards—and if he couldn't, Severus didn't think anyone could—the odds of running into his grandparents were pretty much nil. They weren't exactly the sort to engage in any kind of sentimentality, and between that and the high winds and the wet snow falling, he doubted they'd even bother to leave their sitting room today, never mind the house.

With a hard swallow, he released his hold on Alastor's cloak and pushed open the old gate surrounding the family plot. He wasn't entirely sure how old the oldest graves here were, but Mum's was the newest, on the end of the first row, and without thinking, he knelt down in the snow and used his hands to shovel away the mound in front of the headstone.

It wasn't…this wasn't how it should _be_. Mum should be here with him. She was too young to be gone. He shook his head sharply, ignoring the taste of blood in his mouth as he bit his lip a bit too hard in an attempt to stop the tears that were welling up. It was a losing battle and he knew it, but…it just wasn't _fair_. Other people got to keep their mums past fifteen, why hadn't he? Why did she have to be gone? She wasn't _supposed_ to be gone. "Mum…."

He wasn't sure how long he knelt in the snow staring at the headstone before a heavy hand on his shoulder made him start. "I'm sorry, lad, but we need to go. We'll come back another time."

Severus swiped at his face and then pushed himself back to his feet. "You're sure it's okay? You won't get in trouble for bringing me here?" He hadn't known what to think when Alastor had told him to fetch his cloak after breakfast—or at least after the single piece of toast that he'd forced down in place of breakfast at Alastor's insistence—but…well, he would like to come back here again. Not that he really _liked_ being here, but someone ought to bring her proper flowers, at least. He hadn't thought about it at Alastor's, and even if he had, it wasn't as though Alastor had a lot of flowers lying around anyway, but it wasn't like his grandparents would bother to bring her any. She should have better than just some stupid stone.

Alastor's expression hardened slightly. "You never mind about that; you've every right in the world to visit your mum's grave when you want to. I'll deal with any trouble that might come." He stepped back towards the anti-apparition boundary and gestured for Severus to follow. "Still, I think it's time we headed home today. You're soaked half through."

Severus nodded, closing the gate behind them, and then moved to stand by Alastor. Apparating home and getting spell-dried didn't take more than a few minutes, and then Severus sank down on the couch.

"Don't suppose you're hungry yet?" Alastor asked.

"Not really."

Alastor patted his shoulder awkwardly. "How about presents, then? They're here, after all."

Severus shrugged and then nodded and got to his feet again. He wasn't really any more interested in presents than food, but he couldn't come up with anything else he wanted to do either, and he didn't want to ruin Alastor's Christmas. "Yours are still in my room; I'll be right back."

When he got back to the sitting room, he found that Alastor had taken his spot on the couch, and after a minute, Severus took a seat on the floor in front of him. From there he could just hand up the presents rather than making Alastor have to keep drawing his wand to levitate them.

He started to turn to Alastor with his presents in hand and then thought better of it and set them down beside him, grabbing a present off the stack with Alastor's name on it to give to him instead. It was far too late to do anything about them now, but the worry that Alastor might not like his gifts was back in full force. Not that Severus really thought that he'd _dis_like them—or at least he was pretty certain that Alastor wouldn't show it if he did—but they weren't much, after all, and….

"Best pick one for you to open too," Alastor prompted, interrupting his thoughts. "Daresay there are a fair number with your name on them down there."

Severus picked the one with 'Severus' in lettering that matched that on the box he'd just given to Alastor. A quick check of the card revealed the giver as Marlene, and when he tore off the wrapping he found a box of sweets from Honeydukes. Even though the idea of eating still made him feel sick, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty that he hadn't thought to get her anything. Alastor must have though…Severus didn't know enough about wine to do anything but nod when Alastor showed him the bottle she'd given him, but Alastor seemed pleased enough.

The next set of presents was from Caradoc: a pair of books for him and a new wand holster for Alastor. It was nicer than the one that Severus had looked at, and he was glad that he hadn't picked that for a present.

The generic cards from Alastor's family he almost wished that he could send _back_ given the events of yesterday—actually he was a little shocked that they'd bother to give him anything at all—but Alastor didn't look particularly thrilled with whatever his cards said either so Severus held his tongue.

The Weasleys sent them almost-matching sweaters, the only difference being that Alastor's had an 'A' on the front while Severus' had an 'S', and Severus was surprised to feel himself starting to grin as he examined his.

"She does pick an…interesting…set of colors, doesn't she?" Alastor asked with a smile of his own.

Severus nodded. Not that he didn't appreciate the thought, and at least he knew that the gift card from the weavers' shop on Diagon Alley that he and Alastor had sent to Molly would be welcome, but given said choice of colors, he had a hard time seeing either he or Alastor wearing them in public. Except possibly under very thick robes.

"Ah, well, they look warm, at least. Have to wear them to the New Year's party; that will make her happy."

Severus nodded automatically. She _had_ gone to the trouble of making them, after all. And somehow he doubted that he and Alastor had been the only ones to receive something like that.

"Let's see what Gideon and Fabian got you," Alastor said, with a nod to the now almost-empty pile of presents. It looks rather suspiciously…small."

It did, at that, and Severus handed back two packages with Alastor's name on them before opening the envelope cautiously. Despite what he'd more than half expected, nothing jumped out at him, and after a moment, he pulled out a card with some sort of scarf-wearing ferret on the front.

"Happy Christmas, Severus," Gideon's voice greeted when he opened the card. "This isn't your present—"

"—but we thought that Alastor might object to your real one—" Fabian cut in.

"—so we'll give that to you secretly."

"_Very_ secretly."

"Tell him we got you a plant."

"This message will be eaten by a mongoose in three seconds."

Severus stared at the piece of parchment in his hand, frowning, and then dropped it with a yelp when the ferret-looking thing on the front suddenly became animated long enough to eat the scripted writing that echoed Gideon and Fabian's words. And then the card. And then itself. "That was…weird."

"That was _disturbing_," Alastor corrected, leaning down and checking Severus' hands quickly. "Did it hurt you?"

"No."

Alastor shook his head. "What in Merlin's name are they selling at the joke shops these days, anyway? I told them they'd best not be getting you into any trouble."

"What did they get you?" Severus asked, hoping to distract him. He liked Gideon and Fabian's idea of trouble most of the time, especially if it meant he'd have something new to use against the Moronic Marauders after the holidays.

Alastor indicated a bottle of some kind of liquor—Severus was even less conversant with liquor than wine—and a small book without a title or author on the cover. Which, Severus suspected, meant that it was going to end up on Alastor's bookshelves rather than the ones he had free access too. Well, maybe Alastor would let him look at it anyway.

"There should be a few more presents for you down there," Alastor said after a minute.

"Oh. Yes." The three remaining gifts all had his name on the front in Alastor's handwriting, and he shifted awkwardly before picking up the two sitting beside him and turning to hand them to Alastor. "Um…these are for you."

Alastor took Severus' clumsily-wrapped presents with a quick smile and a quick squeeze to the back of his neck.

Severus pulled the last few presents over to him…one large one, and then two that were flatter—although too long to be books—that rattled suspiciously when Severus picked them up. Alastor seemed to be waiting to open his, so Severus peeled the paper off one of the smaller ones quickly. "Scrabble." It was a bored game, but not one he'd seen at Brian's, and he flipped it over to read the directions quickly.

"Arthur knew where a Muggle game shop was in London," Alastor said. "Given how much you read, that seemed a good pick for you, though we can go back if you'd rather another."

Severus shook his head. "I like this one, thank you. Will you play me?"

"Aye, I can do that. Expect it wouldn't be much fun to play alone. But you've still got two to go."

"You do too."

Alastor nodded slightly, tugging the paper off the smaller of the two packages. "Anti-charm charms. Huh." He picked them out, checking each one—five in total, for five classes of charms—and gave Severus a quick smile. "That'll be more than a bit useful, lad, thank you."

Severus relaxed a little. Alastor probably knew a dozen spells to cancel charms that were much more powerful than those little medallions, but they had looked like something he might like.

He tore the paper off the other flattened gift, unsurprised to find another bored game. Cluedo, this one was called, and it seemed to be some kind of mystery game. He put it aside to look at in more detail later and looked back to see Alastor opening his second gift.

He seemed a little confused by it, and after a minute, Severus asked if he could have it for a minute.

"It's called a pocket knife. See it's a bunch of tools in one, and you just pull out whatever one you'd like." He pulled out one of the blades.

Alastor took it back, examining it from all angles, and then smiled. "Well, isn't that clever? Package said it had six knives, and I couldn't figure out where they were all tucked away. But here they are, and a file, and a pen, and a…magnifying glass…?" He pulled that one out and looked through it for a moment before grinning again. "Huh. Muggles made this?"

"Yes."

"_Very_ clever." He pulled out what Severus thought was the bottle opener. "No need to transfigure anything, no need to carry a bunch of tools…." Alastor tugged another blade out to examine it beside the bottle opener before shaking his head and patting Severus' shoulder lightly. "Thank you, lad."

Severus felt himself grin back. He hadn't been at all sure what Alastor would think about the Swiss Army knife he'd picked up in London…he'd found it in the same shop as the _History of Human Invention_ book they'd bought for Arthur, and while he hadn't expected the fact that it was Muggle to bother Alastor, it wasn't like anything Severus had ever seen in the Wizarding world either.

"Very clever," Alastor said again to himself as he collapsed the tools back down and tucked the knife into his robes. "Have to make sure I don't let Gideon get his hands on it or I'll probably never see it again." He shook his head. "All right, you've one more to go. Though there're a few rules that go with this one."

Severus looked up at him curiously and then pulled off the wrapping on the larger box. There was nothing written on the box itself, and he opened it cautiously. And then grinned. A potions kit was nestled inside—which explained why Alastor would have rules for using it—and he began to pull out the pieces one by one.

It was a _good_ kit; easily as good as what a student doing an independent study in preparation for NEWTs would use. Far better than just the simple tools required for brewing at Hogwarts; there, any non-standard equipment that the students got to use was the property of the school and generally bore clear evidence of that fact.

There weren't many ingredients included, just a few of the standard bases, but ingredients were usually purchased separately anyway depending on what one wanted to brew. He was trying to calculate how many vials he could sneak out of the storeroom at Hogwarts without getting caught before it occurred to him that if Alastor found out about it—even after the fact—he'd be in a _lot_ more trouble than just detention. But he had to have _something_ to get started, and….

"You and I will have to make a trip to the apothecary and see what else you need to get started," Alastor said after Severus had examined all the pieces.

"Really?"

"Aye, well, it'd be a shame to have all your things there and nothing to do but look at them." He tugged Severus' ear lightly, making Severus look up at him. "Mind I don't want you doing any brewing alone, is that understood? Theorize to your heart's content, but there'll be no work done unless someone else is around. And while I'm not the best at potions, I expect to see any experiments you'd like to try written out properly rather than you just mixing things at random. And if I don't know if it will work, we'll be checking with someone who does before you try it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." He thought Alastor was being more than a little overcautious since it wasn't as though he hadn't worked without supervision before—and he'd experimented alone before too—but given how Alastor was about safety, he didn't think that arguing would accomplish anything. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Suppose we'll need to see about setting up some sort of regular pocket money, too. If there's anything you _need_, it's my responsibility to provide it—and I expect to hear about it—but you're old enough to be managing your own money for some of the things you want. Expect there'll be more than a few ingredients on that list."

Severus nodded quickly. "Yes, sir." It would be nice to be able to buy his own ingredients, and if he had his own money, he could buy a few other things without having to bother Alastor for them too.

That got his ear tweaked again, and he grinned quickly as he looked back up.

"Yes, Alastor."

"That's better." He patted Severus shoulder. "Now, I don't know about you, but I think I'm ready for pie. We've got the rest of Molly's and then one I picked up on the way home from work the other day as well."

Severus started to say that he still wasn't hungry and then abruptly realized that it wasn't true anymore. Not that he still wouldn't rather Mum than any pie, of course, but…well, he had only had toast for breakfast, and…. "Could we maybe play one of the bored games while we eat?"

"Aye, I suppose we could do that." Alastor pushed himself to his feet, tucking his crutch under his arm. "Why don't you bring them along, then; it'll be a bit easier to play at the table. We'll clean up the paper later."

Three hours later and full of pie—they still hadn't had any of the other food Severus knew Alastor had purchased for the holiday—Severus found himself frowning at the board in front of him. Alastor had been far too pleased after his last turn not to have solved the mystery, which meant that if he wanted to win, he had to guess now. "Um…Miss Scarlet, in the kitchen, with the…rope."

"Hah!"

Severus checked the cards in the middle of the table and then shook his head. "You know, I don't think an Auror should be _that_ happy about beating a fifth year at a detective game." Especially since it was his third time doing it.

"Says the lad who insists that 'hyrax is a word."

"It is!" He wasn't entirely certain where he'd heard it, but he was pretty sure that you could use the liver of them in certain potions. And since he'd used Alastor's 'r' on the triple-word-score spot, he'd earned fifty-four points for it, too. Alastor might be beating him soundly at Cluedo, but Severus had killed him at Scrabble.

"Well, we'll see about that." Alastor flicked his forehead lightly. "I'm finding a proper dictionary after work tomorrow, and then we'll play again."

Severus grinned. "Bet I still win."

Alastor shook his head.

"Do you really know who did it?" Severus indicated the board.

"Miss Scarlett, in the kitchen, with the candlestick. Bit of a fool to kill someone with a candlestick, but…" He shrugged, not even bothering to check the cards, and Severus shook his head.

"You have to play Gideon or Fabian or somebody, I think."

* * *

"He's cheating," Gideon declared, glaring at the two tiles he'd picked and then at Severus.

"I am not! I didn't even touch those tiles!"

"Are so! Isn't he cheating?"

"Not his fault you've got the vocabulary of a Hogwarts firstie," Fabian said with a grin. "After all, _I'm_ doing fine against him."

Fabian was actually doing better than fine, he stood a good chance of beating Severus in this game, and Alastor wasn't far behind them, but Gideon seemed to be picking nothing but vowels. His increasingly absurd words, and insistence that things like 'eeer' _were_ words, were keeping them all amused.

Severus thought that he might be doing better if there wasn't a large package with 'CAUTION' stamped on the side and 'To Severus' in much smaller letters underneath it sitting on the far counter, but unfortunately, every time Fabien or Gideon caught him looking at it, they cleared their throats and cast overly exaggerated glances at Alastor and wouldn't let him anywhere near it. It was maddening.

"Your turn, lad," Alastor prompted, and Severus shook himself and set down 'parapet'. Which got a groan from Alastor—he'd probably had a use for that 't'—that more than made up for the small number of points. If he'd had an 's'…well, from the games he'd played so far, he was pretty sure that _everyone_ wanted 's's so he would live without for now.

His eyes were drawn back to the package as Alastor took his turn, and then Fabian grinned. "Suppose we ought to let him have it before he forgets what game we're playing again and claims that Professor Mustard did it."

"It's Colonel Mustard, and I wouldn't do that," Severus objected.

"Would so."

"Would not."

"Would so." Gideon stuck out his tongue.

Alastor cleared his throat before Severus could continue the argument. "I seem to recall saying this before, but if whatever you got him can do _anything_ permanent to any of his classmates…."

"Oh ye of little faith. Besides, didn't you hear? We got him a plant." Fabian nudged Severus. "You told him we got you a plant, right?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Because he valued being able to sit down, even if he was pretty sure that lying in jest wouldn't get quite as bad a reaction from Alastor as outright lying. "He was sitting right beside me when I opened the card," Severus pointed out.

"Hm." Fabian didn't look entirely convinced, but he did help Alastor move the Scrabble board aside so Gideon could set the package in front of Severus.

Alastor was still eyeing the Prewetts suspiciously, but he didn't object when Severus tore off the paper. "A Hundred and One Fun and Easy Ways to Reduce Alastor's House to Rubble," Severus read. He was pretty sure that that wasn't what the box _used_ to say, but whoever had made the 'CAUTION' label had obviously done a little creative editing with the box art as well."

"Bloody hell," Alastor muttered.

Severus pried off the top and grinned. "_Complete Instructions for Mixing Magical Fireworks._" He hadn't seen the book before, but the illustration on the front looked interesting, and presumably the neatly-packaged jars underneath it were the ingredients he'd need.

"We saw Alastor getting you a potions kit and figured we should find you something properly fun to do with it," Gideon said with a grin in Alastor's direction. "No sense keeping your nose in your schoolbooks all the time."

"No brewing alone," Alastor said firmly, shaking his head as he peered into the box. "And I don't think there'll be any testing of these indoors, either."

"Yes, sir," Severus agreed automatically. Although the 'no brewing alone' rule was going to be a _lot_ harder now…Alastor had had to work every day since Christmas so he hadn't had time to take Severus to the apothecary, which meant that Severus hadn't had anything to brew anyway. Now….

* * *

"Ready to go, lad?" Alastor asked.

Severus put Aberdeen back on her shelf and grabbed his Scrabble game. Fabian had challenged him to a rematch, and Arthur liked all things Muggle so he'd probably want to see it too. "Coming!"

He was a little relieved to see Alastor in his matching sweater…the bright yellow didn't look very good on him either, but Molly probably would be happy to see them wearing them.

There were already a dozen people at the Weasleys when Alastor and Severus Floo'd in; Arthur introduced most of them, but Severus only caught a few names. Other Weasleys for the most part, with a few Prewetts mixed in, and two Lovegoods that Severus was pretty sure that he'd heard of before even if he wasn't sure where. Fabian and Gideon arrived not moments later—their sweaters were purple with yellow lettering rather than yellow with purple—dragging Caradoc between them. Molly shook her head in exasperation and went to rescue Caradoc even as Fabian dragged Severus, his Scrabble game, and one of the older Prewetts off to a corner where a table was already set up.

Dinner interrupted their game, but Severus didn't mind too much as Mr. Prewett didn't even pause in his description of the Dragon Attacks of 1894 as they took a seat at the table. Binns had never covered _that_ in History of Magic, and Severus could just imagine the beasts sweeping down the coasts. Despite the fact that the man had to be a contemporary of his grandparents, he didn't seem to mind Severus' company…in fact, he seemed rather glad of an audience, since Fabian had slipped away to sit at the other end of the table beside a dark-haired woman that Severus didn't recognize.

"Are you doing all right, lad?" Alastor asked quietly when Mr. Prewett turned to answer a question from the redhead woman—Severus thought she was a Prewett too—on his other side.

Severus nodded quickly. He hadn't really done much besides play a game and listen to Mr. Prewett, but so far no one had objected to his presence, and he'd heard one of the Weasleys say something about an illusion competition after dinner that would be fun to watch even if he didn't really know how to compete.

"Good. Was afraid you might be getting a bit bored with no one else your age about."

Severus barely refrained from making a face. He tended to do better when there _weren't_ others his age around. "I'm having a good time, really."

"All right, then. Mind you don't fill up too much on sweets; Molly will keep putting out more as the night goes on. And watch the blue punch, Gideon's already spiked it twice despite Molly's best efforts. I think the red is safe enough; that's what the little ones have been drinking."

Severus nodded quickly, even though he didn't exactly appreciate being grouped with 'little ones.' Which, in this case, had to mean Bill and Charlie and a couple other baby redheads he'd seen crawling around. But he hadn't much liked the effects of spiked punch the last time he'd had some, so….

"Alastor, it's been awhile old friend," a new voice greeted from behind them, and Severus froze. He _knew_ that voice.


	34. AU: Uncertainty

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. And yes, I do know that it's 'board games' and not 'bored games', but Severus doesn't._

_

* * *

_

Severus bit back a groan. Did the headmaster have to ruin _everything_? And he'd greeted Alastor as 'old friend' too, which meant that they must have known each other for a long time. And since he was here, he probably knew the Prewetts and the Weasleys too, and…. He suppressed a second groan. This was supposed to be his _holiday_ from all things Hogwarts.

Alastor had set his utensils down and was getting to his feet to shake Dumbledore's hand, and Severus wondered idly what his odds of crawling under the table and escaping out the other side were. Probably pretty low considering the number of people packed around the table, and he could just imagine the shocked look on Arthur's mother's face—the woman currently sitting across from him with Charlie in her lap—if he suddenly popped up beside her skirts.

"And I expect you know Severus," Severus heard Alastor say, and he set his fork and knife down neatly and refrained from dropping his forehead down into the remains of his roast only by great force of will as Alastor's hand landed on his shoulder. Now he _definitely_ wasn't going to get away without being seen.

"Professor Dumbledore," he greeted, getting slowly to his feet as doing his best to keep his emotions off his face. He thought he was successful, but then again, it might not have mattered as Dumbledore most definitely was _not_. In fact, Severus had never seen the headmaster look quite so much like he'd been hit with a stunning hex before. It was…extremely amusing, actually.

"Mr. Snape, I wasn't aware that you knew Alastor," Dumbledore managed after a moment, his expression smoothing.

Severus shrugged. "I live with him."

The struck-with-a-stunning-hex expression returned for a fraction of a second and then disappeared again. "Ah. I…see." He glanced to the side at Alastor. "I hadn't realized that. You're not…related…or…."

"No, nothing like that." Alastor shook his head, saying nothing more, and Severus wondered for a second if he was enjoying Dumbledore's discomfiture as well. It was hard to tell from the quick glance Severus managed, but his tone had been awfully casual.

"Oy, Severus, over here!" Gideon called suddenly from across the room. "If you're done eating, come give me a hand with this!"

Severus glanced back down at his plate. He wasn't quite finished, but as Alastor had said, there was no shortage of snacks around. And self-preservation said that as amusing as the whole situation with Dumbledore had turned out, he probably shouldn't stick around and press his luck. If, for some twisted reason, Dumbledore decided to say anything about his troubles at school—even if most of it wasn't he fault, no matter what anybody said—he would still be dead. Seeing the headmaster so discombobulated was _almost_ enough to make that a fair trade, but…. He gave himself a mental shake and then nodded to Alastor and Dumbledore. "Would you please excuse me?"

"Whatever he's got in mind, try and keep him from blowing up the house," Alastor said with a shake of his head and a quick pat to Severus shoulder.

Severus didn't even try to ask how he was supposed to manage that as Dumbledore murmured something polite as well and then stepped out of the way to allow him to leave the table.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dumbledore turn back to Alastor and begin what looked like a rather intense series of questions, but it was too late to have done anything differently. And the headmaster really had looked funny.

He shook his head and then navigated around a smaller table ringed by children to join Gideon. "What do you need? Alastor says I'm not allowed to let you blow up the house."

"No faith. No faith at _all_." He shook his head and heaved a deep sigh before his usual grin returned and he handed a handful of ribbon to Severus. "Actually I just need some help setting up for the Charms competition. Apparently I'm not allowed to compete this year—although no matter what Molly says, I'm not sure how _I_ was supposed to know that that was Grandfather's favorite sweater—so it's my job to judge."

Severus had no idea what he might have done to the man's sweater, but having him judging didn't sound very much safer, and Severus wondered about Molly's sanity for a moment before shaking his head and following Gideon outside. He almost turned around and went right back _inside_ as a blast of icy wind cut through his sweater—he and Alastor had Floo'd over so he hadn't bothered to bring his heavy cloak—but then Gideon drew his wand and cast a spell that Severus didn't recognize at the ground between them. A bubble of warmth, made visible as the snow it encompassed neatly melted away, spread upwards and outwards, and before long there was a circular area of grass free of snow and wet reaching Molly and Arthur's back door all the way out to the garden.

"What spell was that?" Severus asked.

"It's called an always-summer spell," Gideon said, demonstrating the wand motion again. "_Usquequaque estas_. Large ones are draining, though, especially if you set them up to last for several hours. Person-sized ones are much easier; you can't move around as much, but they make lookout duty a lot more pleasant than it could be.

Severus nodded. He was _definitely_ going to try that one when he had a chance. When they had to be outside on the tower for Astronomy class, he made do with his heaviest cloak and a lot of warming spells like everyone else, but something like this would be a lot nicer. Especially since you didn't do a lot of moving around while looking through a telescope anyway.

"Spread out the ribbon in a circle, and it will make a boundary," Gideon said, gesturing in the general direction of the garden. "Keep it a bit away from the fence, though, just to be safe."

Severus glanced down at the ribbon and then began to lay it out as Gideon had asked. "There's no spell for this part?"

"The ribbon is already spelled; it'll activate when it's lying flat and the two ends are overlapped." He shook his head. "It used to be spelled for dueling, actually, back when we did the New Years' celebration at Mum and Dad's place, but then we started inviting Alastor and he kicked all our arses three years running. After that, we figured we'd better change up the competition so the rest of us would have a chance. He's not quite so good at charms—if I remember right, Xenophilius won their round last year with a surprise hovering charm—so things are a bit more exciting. Not to mention that switching from dueling to charms stopped Mum from complaining about scorch marks on the lawn."

Severus grinned. "Molly probably wouldn't like that either."

"Molly would have us out here seeding new grass even in the snow," Gideon agreed with a grin. "And Merlin help us if we touched her garden."

"Does everyone have to compete?"

"Oh, no. Everyone who wants to is welcome, but quite a few people like to just sit with their drinks and watch the show. I think I saw Albus come in, so it ought to be pretty impressive this year. Are you thinking about giving it a try?"

Severus leaned down to untwist a stretch of ribbon and hid a scowl. So Dumbledore did know the Prewetts, then. It wasn't really a _surprise_, at least not now, but…. He straightened again and then shrugged. "I think maybe I'll just watch." Maybe next year if he was here he might try, but he was only a fifth-year, after all. And he'd never been in a Charms competition before. It would be kind of embarrassing to be knocked out immediately for not knowing what he was doing.

Apparently the Charms competition served as the after-dinner entertainment, because people began to join them carrying drinks and plates loaded with pie just as Severus and Gideon got the ribbon ring smoothed out. As soon as they'd done so, it started emitting a translucent yellow barrier, and people began to arrange themselves around it.

Severus was more than a little relieved when Alastor joined him without being accompanied by the headmaster. He didn't want to spend his holiday around Dumbledore. And Alastor's smile of greeting was a relief as well...if Dumbledore had told Alastor anything that upset him, it would have shown, so apparently Severus' school troubles were still his. He returned Alastor's smile easily.

"Well, everything still _looks_ intact; I suppose that's a good sign," Alastor said.

"No explosions. I was just helping him get the ring set up." He glanced up. "Are you going to compete?"

"Aye, I'll give it a try. What about you?" He nodded towards an older woman—a Weasley, Severus thought, probably some kind of aunt—now standing by the door. "If you want to try, just put your name in the hat. They'll be drawing for the first set of matches and then pairing down the winners from there."

Severus shook his head. "I don't think so. I just want to watch."

"That's fair enough." He paused. "Did you get enough dinner? You usually clean your plate, and it looked like Gideon dragged you off before you had a chance to finish."

Severus shrugged slightly. "I was going to have an extra piece of pie." Or two. "And maybe some hot chocolate, if Gideon and Fabian haven't got to it yet." He glanced back at the house and realized that the crowd around them had grown and he should probably get whatever he wanted now, before the competition started, or he'd miss something. "Would you like anything?"

"I suppose I could manage a piece of pie, also. If you fetch it, I'll stake out seats for us. You'll just have to guard mine while I'm competing, keep that partner of mine from doing anything horrible to it."

* * *

"Just put him down in here."

The feeling of floating dissipated, and Severus shifted as he landed on something soft.

"Honestly, Alastor, I don't know what you were thinking. It's nearly two in the morning—you should have sent him to bed hours ago!"

"He's fifteen, Molly; nearly sixteen in fact. I daresay that's old enough to decide when he's tired. And it's not as though he was causing anyone any trouble."

"Well, of course he's no trouble." She scoffed, and Severus squirmed away from the hand that fussed his hair. He wasn't a baby.

"Are you sure it's okay for him to nap here? It is late. Maybe I should just wake him up and take him home."

"You'll do no such thing. He's exhausted, and there's no lack of material to transfigure into beds. The two of you can just sleep here tonight, and there'll be plenty of leftovers for breakfast."

"Thanks, Molly."

There was rustling, and then something warm was arranged around his shoulders. Severus was starting to sink back into full sleep when Molly spoke again.

"Are you all right?"

"Hm. Oh. Aye." Alastor sighed, and a broad hand landed lightly on Severus' back for a moment. "Just still not sure I'm the best one for this job."

"What?"

Severus came a bit further awake, wondering what Alastor meant by that. He didn't hear any response from Alastor, but after a moment Molly spoke again.

"Why would you say that? He seemed to have a good time tonight. Though he's still far too skinny for a boy his age." Even half-asleep Severus had no difficulty imagining her shaking her head in disapproval.

"Aye, it was a good night," Alastor said. "And he's a good lad. Even with your brothers doing their best to corrupt him, Merlin help us all."

Severus felt his lips twitch and was glad that his face was turned into the pillow and half-hidden by the blanket.

"He misses his mum, though—and understandably so—and I'm no help with that. Not sure if I'm doing what I should, or if there's more, or less, or a different way to go about it, or what." Another light pat to Severus' back and a few minutes of silence before, "I took my belt to him the other day. It was well enough deserved, and if a lad's earned a thrashing it ought to be severe enough that he remembers it, but…." A sigh. "It hurts him so. And I'd have let him off a bit more lightly if he'd just told me _why_, but he didn't say anything until it was over and done." Another sigh, followed by a snort. "About the only thing in those nonsense books that woman gave me that I understood was to be consistent—which seems fairly obvious; you can't expect a youngling to follow the rules or accept the consequences if they keep changing on him—but maybe I'm missing something. Or going about it wrong."

"Did you talk to him about it?" Molly asked.

"Made sure that he was okay, of course. I wouldn't leave him hurting."

"That's not what I meant. " It was her turn to go silent for a moment. "Alastor, anyone with eyes can see that Severus thinks the world of you. If you're worried, talk to him."

There was another snort. "Not so sure that he knows how a lad ought to be treated either. As far as I can tell, his da and grandda weren't any more use than any of my relatives. Maybe even a bit less."

A familiar, callused hand messed his hair lightly, and Severus shifted a little and hoped that that would be enough to bring this conversation to an end. Partially because it was a little embarrassing for Molly to know about his punishment, even if he had seen her give Bill a swat once or twice before she put in him in the corner, but more because he thought Alastor was a _good _guardian, even if he was strict. He didn't like hearing him sound uncertain. "'lstor?"

"I'm sorry, lad, I didn't mean to wake you up." Alastor rubbed his back through the thick blanket. "Go on back to sleep with you, now. I'll see you tomorrow."

There was the sound of movement, and then it was dark, and Severus opened his eyes fully and rolled to stare upwards. Was Alastor having second thoughts? He hadn't said anything bad about Severus, but if he'd changed his mind about wanting to be his guardian—or _anyone's_ guardian—then….

* * *

"Severus, are you awake?" Alastor asked from the doorway.

Severus yawned and then nodded and pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes quickly. He hadn't ended up sleeping very well last night, and then Molly had woken them early for breakfast and had forced far too much food on them—at least in his opinion, but then he rarely had more than toast—before he and Alastor had floo'd home. They'd both ended up heading for their own rooms for a few more hours of sleep as soon as they'd arrived, but Severus had again had trouble relaxing completely and had been tossing and turning for the last half an hour or so.

"Do you think you might be up for a trip to Diagon Alley?" Alastor asked. "I seem to recall promising you some potions' ingredients. And we ought to pick up something for Molly and Arthur."

Nothing in his voice _now _said that he might be regretting taking in Severus, but Severus wasn't likely to forget what he'd heard last night. How uncertain Alastor had sounded. After a minute, though, he nodded. "I'd like to go." He paused. "Are we getting them a thank you gift? Molly and Arthur, I mean." He didn't remember his grandparents ever doing that when they'd been invited to parties, but then again, those had been different sorts of parties with different sorts of guests.

"Hm? Oh, I suppose you'd fallen asleep before the announcement, hadn't you?" Alastor grinned slightly. "I think Molly would have preferred to tell the family privately first, but Arthur had a bit more to drink than he probably should have and let slip that Molly is expecting again."

"Really?" Weren't two little kids running around enough?

"Aye. She isn't due until summer, but I thought we ought to get her a congratulations gift."

Severus nodded. "You don't have to go in to work at all today?" If not, maybe he could do some brewing too after they got back. One of his school potions maybe, or he could try something from the fireworks kit. That way he could show Alastor that he really did know what he was doing and Alastor didn't have to worry about supervising him…that would make things a little easier on him.

Alastor shook his head. "Not for anything short of an emergency. Why don't you go on get yourself up and cleaned up and we'll go. Maybe stop by the one of the cafes after we're done since we probably ought to have something other than pie."

Severus didn't know how he could think of food right now, but then, Molly probably hadn't been quite as insistent about heaping food on his plate as she had on Severus'. And maybe he would be hungry after they'd done some walking around. He got cleaned and changed quickly and then shrugged on his heavy cloak and followed Alastor to the anti-apparition boundary.

Diagon Alley wasn't nearly as crowded as Severus had expected, but then again, quite a few people were probably sleeping off last night. He fell into step beside Alastor automatically. Despite still hearing Alastor's words echoing in his mind, he couldn't really ask Alastor about what he'd heard since he'd been supposed to be asleep, but he couldn't think of anything else to talk about as they turned towards the apothecary's.

"Gave Albus quite a start last night," Alastor said suddenly, glancing down at him.

"Hm?" Severus looked up at him, taking a minute to process his words. Despite his original horror at the man's presence, he'd actually totally forgotten about the headmaster, and he felt a grin escape as he remembered the man's expression. "Oh, yeah. I've never seen _that_ look on his face at Hogwarts before, ever." He cast a cautious look at Alastor. "Its…have you known each other a long time?"

"Suppose you could say that. He was one of my teachers when _I_ was at Hogwarts, and then we kept in touch afterwards. Especially after the war."

Grindlewald, Severus realized…he still wasn't exactly sure how old Alastor was, but that would definitely qualify them as old friends. He frowned as he tried to figure out how to ask what—if anything—the headmaster had said about him without giving away anything. Now he had even more reason to avoid letting Alastor find out about his troubles. "It looked like he had a lot of questions for you," he finally said after a moment.

"Aye, well, things have been busy, and it's been a year at least since the last time I talked to him. I doubt he ever expected me to end up with a youngster in the house."

"Oh."

"I think he was more curious about how it came about than anything else," Alastor said with a shake of his head. "Seemed to think you were happy enough with your grandparents."

Severus made a disgusted sound but managed to refrain from saying anything. The only reason the headmaster had even _known_ that he lived with his grandparents was because his mother had died, and he certainly had never had cause to think Severus was happy there. Then again, this was Dumbledore. He noticed what he felt like noticing.

"You disappeared right after he arrived," Albus said, glancing down at him, and Severus shrugged awkwardly.

"Gideon asked for my help." He paused and then shrugged again before continuing. "And I wasn't really expecting to see any of my teachers—or the headmaster—over the holiday." It wasn't the _whole_ reason why he'd been so eager to join Gideon, but it was true enough.

"Aye, I suppose I can understand that." Alastor paused in front of the door to the apothecary. "All right, youngling, I did promise you potions' ingredients, but try not to empty the store, all right? You do have a birthday coming up."


	35. AU: Days of Holiday

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

_

* * *

_

A deep chuckle from behind him brought him out of the world of potion composition and back to the present, and Severus looked up. "Hm?"

Alastor's hand closed on his neck lightly. "Well, I suppose half the store is better than the entire store."

Severus glanced down at the pile of vials—which _was_ kind of large—sitting on the counter in front of him. "I can put some of it back; it's not—"

Alastor squeezed his neck again. "Nonsense, I was just teasing." He made a sharp gesture, and two baskets floated over. "I noticed you haven't gone hunting for anything new for a few minutes; is this what you want?"

Severus nodded quickly. Well, there were a few other things that he certainly wouldn't _mind_ having, but they didn't seem to be on the shelves. Which wasn't really a surprise. And it was probably just as well they weren't, in truth. He'd been trying to watch the prices of things he grabbed, but he knew that despite his best efforts it was starting to add up. It was kind of silly when he thought about it—after all, he wouldn't be taking any of this back to Hogwarts—but it could all be stored, and since Alastor had offered….

Alastor didn't seem concerned about anything going unused until summer, though, or even about the prices as he read the labels on the various vials. He simply put each in the basket after he'd checked it. "You've do have a few properly fun things in this collection, right?" he asked after a minute. "Because Merlin help you—and especially _me_—if my partner and his brother think you're only studying or doing schoolwork in your free time."

Studying potions _was_ fun for him, but Severus didn't bother to argue the point as he held up another kit made by the same company that had made his fireworks kit. This one was for various types of magical goo, and he'd picked it up mostly on a whim. But a few of the projects in it looked pretty interesting. Aside from being able to see good uses for a couple types of goo outright, he had some ideas for combining others with other substances. "I think this counts." And he could probably get the two of them to test it for him if he asked correctly. Or he could test it on them….

Alastor shook his head and smiled as he scanned the description on the back. "Aye, I daresay you're right." He put the last vial in the second basket and then gave another shake of his head. "All right, then. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get hungry."

Severus hadn't expected to be, not after Molly's idea of a good breakfast, but now that Alastor mentioned it, he noticed that his stomach was starting to grumble. How long had they been in here, anyway? He picked up the first basket quickly, tucking the kit under his arm, and Alastor lifted the other and led the way to the front of the shop.

It was more crowded on the street than it had been when they finally made it out of the shop, which probably shouldn't have come as a surprise. People would have had time to sleep off last night's revelry by now. It made juggling the bags a little interesting, though—potions ingredients couldn't exactly be shrunk and stuck in a convenient pocket—and it took them a few minutes to find a seat at one of the cafes.

They ended up being stuck towards the back, and Severus was surprised to find himself scowling at one idiot who wouldn't get his chair out of the way of Alastor's crutch. The whole thing was kind of stupid when he thought about it—Alastor was an Auror, and Severus knew perfectly well that he could take care of himself—but the man could see that he was in the way and there was no need for him to be such an—

"Severus?" Alastor asked, turning to look back at him.

Severus made himself look away from the arse. "Coming."

"Never mind people like that," Alastor said as Severus came alongside him again. "Not worth the time. Yours or mine."

Severus shrugged. He was used to people being rude to him, but…well, he didn't like it when they did it to Alastor. But since it didn't seem to matter to Alastor, he gave the man a final glare and went to join Alastor. They managed to wedge their bags behind their table, and he picked up the menu as soon as they were seated. "Can I have pie?"

"You can have a proper lunch. There's pie waiting for us at home."

"Yes, sir." Fingers flicked his forehead lightly. "Yes, Alastor."

"That's better. Got to break that habit of yours somehow." It didn't take him them but a minute to place their orders when a waitress came by, and then Alastor turned back to Severus. "Think you're about ready to head back to school then? Not too many days left."

Severus shrugged slightly. He was well aware of that fact, and he definitely _wasn't_ ready to go back, but 'Merlin, no,' probably wasn't the appropriate thing to say here.

"Ah, well, I suppose no youngling looks forward to more classes while they're on holiday. At least you'll get see all your friends again."

'All his friends.' Right. When you could count them on one hand and still have fingers left to spare, that wasn't saying much. He settled for another shrug. "I guess. But all of the professors are going kind of classwork crazy with OWLs coming up." That, at least, was a normal reason for someone to be reluctant to go back to school. "It's nice to have a break and not have to think about all that stuff."

"Suppose that's understandable." It was Alastor's turn to pause, and then, "You know you're welcome back at home for the Easter holidays if you like. If you haven't other plans, of course. At least when I was in school, a lot of fifth-year students used to stay behind to work with study groups and such. Well, fifth and seventh years, I suppose."

"I don't have anything like that planned." Or any other kind of plan, as it happened. And short of a complete personality transplant he wouldn't; that was a given. Lily _always _went home for the holidays, so there wouldn't even be a chance of studying with her. "It's…." He picked at the table covering awkwardly.

"Severus?"

"I mean, you're sure it's not a problem if I come? I don't want to be in the way or anything." He knew Alastor had taken more days off than usual over Christmas, and he had no idea how many holidays Aurors actually got. It wasn't exactly a 'normal' job; they couldn't close the Aurors' offices and expect crimes to just stop on certain days of the year. Not to mention that given the conversation he'd overheard between Alastor and Molly…. "It's not like I haven't stayed at Hogwarts before." And he should study for OWLS, even if he did it it by himself. Even if he didn't have a prayer in Transfiguration, didn't care all that much about History of Magic or Astronomy, and expected the Potions exam to be a joke, it wouldn't hurt to review Charms and Arithmancy. And Ancient Runes _always_ required studying.

"Of course you aren't a problem." Alastor's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Did Albus—Professor Dumbledore—say anything like that to you?"

"What?" Severus frowned. "No. I didn't talk to him at all except to say 'hello.'" Which had suited Severus just fine, but Alastor's question didn't give him a lot of confidence in what Dumbledore might have said to _him_.

"Good." Alastor shook his head.

"Did he say something like that to you?" He wasn't too sure that he wanted to hear the answer, but since Alastor had asked his question….

Alastor shook his head. "No, no, not exactly. Just a couple comments about being surprised that you were staying with me, and that taking care of younglings is harder than it looks." He snorted. "As though I hadn't figured that out for myself."

"I don't mean to cause trouble."

Alastor hooked a finger under his chin and tilted his head up. "You're no trouble, lad. I didn't mean it like that. Albus just gets odd ideas in his head sometimes." He snorted. "He's a bit of an odd man in general, I suppose. And, to be fair, I've never had much to do with any sort of youngster before so I should have expected him to be surprised."

Lunch arrived before either of them could say anything else, and Severus kept his attention on his sandwich through the meal. Which didn't taste as good as he'd thought it would. Alastor seemed to be telling the truth when he said Severus wasn't trouble, but…. He bit back groan. Why couldn't Dumbledore have gone to someone _else's_ party?

Alastor stayed quiet as well, at least until they got home and got the ingredients put away in one of the side cupboards in the kitchen that had being going mostly unused.

"Is there anything that you'd like to work on now? Told you before that I'm not the best in the world at potions, but I daresay I'm qualified to chop and dice. Need to set aside part of the counter for it, I expect, since I don't want your ingredients mixing in with our dinners, but there should be plenty of room."

Severus hadn't really expected Alastor to help him, mostly to just be around like he said was required, but since he'd offered…. "Can we try one of the fireworks?"

* * *

Severus read through the directions one more time and checked the ingredient vials. The fireworks they'd finished yesterday had worked quite well—Alastor had apparated them to some deserted field in the middle of nowhere to test them out—and he wanted to see if the goo met with similar results.

The day after tomorrow he'd have to board the train to go back to Hogwarts, as much as he didn't want to think about it, but if he could get the echoing goo done tonight, he could test it tomorrow. Only on himself, since this was a Muggle neighborhood, but if it worked…well, he'd already copied down the instructions for one set of fireworks and tucked them into his trunk, and he knew the ingredients he needed for this kind of goo were all at Hogwarts as well. It wouldn't be a bad thing to start out the New Year with tricks no one, particularly the Moronic Marauders, had ever seen before.

Well, the fireworks he actually wanted to show Lily—not that he would really _object_ to blowing one of them up in Black's face if he got the chance, but he thought she'd be impressed if he set a few of them off while they were in Astronomy class up on the tower—but he could think of a solid dozen rather sinister uses for echoing goo. Especially if he could figure out how to modify the echoes it made.

He tapped his fingers against the countertop and then checked the time again. Alastor hadn't said anything about having to work late, but Severus knew perfectly well that he didn't necessarily work on a set schedule. Severus had promised that he wouldn't do any brewing alone, and he planned on keeping that promise, but…. He turned firmly away from what had been designated the 'potions only' stretch of countertop and went to get the last of the leftovers Molly had sent home with them out of the preserver. Even if Alastor got home in the next ten minutes, he'd probably rather eat before brewing.

He'd just finished the warming spell for the meat when he heard a click from the front door, and he glanced back over his shoulder. "Alastor?"

"Aye, it's me, lad," Alastor called.

There was a rustle, probably Alastor putting his cloak away, and then he appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. "Hello, Sev—" His expression darkened as he caught sight of the lined-up vials, and his voice went stern. "I thought I made it clear that you weren't to do any brewing alone."

"I didn't," Severus objected. "I didn't even mix anything. I was just getting it ready. Dinner's ready too."

Alastor relaxed at that, and he shook himself before patting Severus' shoulder lightly. "All right, lad. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. How was your day?"

"All right." He made a face. "I got the rest of my homework done." As annoying as most of it had been.

"Well, that sounds about as much fun as the paperwork I got to finish this afternoon. How about you let me get changed, and then we'll eat and then see what you've got lined up for brewing tonight?"

Severus nodded. He wasn't that hungry, but Alastor was, and if he ate now, he wouldn't have to stop in the middle. He hadn't seen any convenient let-simmer-for-an-hour breaks in the goo instructions.

"I think the Prewetts are planning to drag us out for supper tomorrow," Alastor said as they sat down at the table. "Not sure where—Gideon told me about it, and he was acting suspicious about the whole thing—but we'll stop by after work to pick you up so if you go out, make sure you're back by late afternoon."

"Actually, may I go with you to the Ministry?" He hadn't thought of it before, but that was firmly in Wizarding territory.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I want to test the goo on somebody besides me."

Alastor frowned. "The Ministry isn't a place to play."

"No, I didn't mean test it there, but I could spend the day in Diagon Alley and then meet you back at the Ministry when it's time for dinner. I won't get into any trouble, I promise, and I won't bother anybody, I just want to make sure that it really echoes what it absorbs. That would be easier with more people around, but I can't do that in the village here without risking the Muggles hearing." Not that he wasn't certain that Muggles also had things that could store and repeat sounds, but he was pretty sure that they were all larger than a spoon-sized glob of goo. And he was very sure didn't _look_ like spoon-sized globs of goo.

"You make sure you stay out of trouble," Alastor said firmly after a moment. "Find a few of your schoolmates to help you test it, not some poor unsuspecting shop owner. And not those boys you've had such trouble with, either; there's no sense starting any more trouble."

Severus' plans to use it on them at school all revolved around them not knowing about it, so that was an easy thing to agree to. Especially since they'd stayed at Hogwarts for the holiday.

"You'll be on your own for lunch," Alastor said after a minute. "Gideon and I have an interview up in Warwick and Fabian and Caradoc won't be back from Paris until mid-afternoon at the earliest."

Severus had no idea what the two of them were doing in Paris—he hadn't even known they'd left the country—but Alastor didn't look inclined to elaborate, so he just nodded. "I'll be fine. I promise."


	36. AU: Out and About

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

_

* * *

_"Checkmate!" Severus grinned. It had been desperation as much as anything that had made him try that series of moves—Alastor had been decimating his pieces on the other side of the board—but it had worked even better than he'd hoped.

Alastor shook his head. "So it is. Well played, youngling. But I daresay it's past time that both of us were asleep."

"We could play again," Severus suggested. "You won the first game." Brewing the goo hadn't taken nearly as long as he'd expected, and he'd been happy enough to accept Alastor's challenge of a game when they'd finished. He'd issue his own challenge in return when Alastor had won, but now they were tied, so….

"Aye, and if we do that, neither of us will be in any shape to be up before noon tomorrow." Alastor clapped a hand on Severus' shoulder, flicking his wand to send the chess set floating back to the study with his other hand. "Come along. We'll have plenty of time to play again in the future."

"But I have to go back to school." The statement came out more plaintive than he'd intended it to, and he shrugged and tried to cover. "I mean, we can't exactly play then."

"Suppose we could try a game by owl if you'd like," Alastor said after a moment. "But we can talk about that tomorrow. Bed, now."

Severus nodded reluctantly. He still didn't feel like going to sleep, but he did plan to spend tomorrow wandering around Diagon Alley. And even if he hadn't, Alastor had to go to work. "Goodnight."

"Sleep well."

He was apparently more tired than he'd thought because he felt his eyes closing almost as soon as he slipped under the blanket. If it hadn't been for a quiet 'Severus' drawing him back to consciousness, he'd probably have been asleep in less than five minutes. As it was, it took a moment for the words to penetrate, and then he blinked at the figure in the doorway. "Hm?"

Alastor chuckled. "Suppose I should have accepted that game. You'd have been asleep on the board two moves in."

"I would not." Probably. He rubbed his eyes and then shifted sideways, making room for Alastor to take a seat on the edge of the bed. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, not wrong, exactly." The bed dipped under Alastor's weight. "But are you sure you're all right? It's…the circumstances are a bit different, I suppose, but I always liked going back to school. You never seem very happy when the subject is mentioned. I know you've OWLs coming up and all, and the testing can get a bit stressful, but…." He shook his head.

Severus shrugged and stared over Alastor's shoulder at the wall, glad that his expression was well-hidden in the darkness. What was he supposed to say? That he pretty much hated school, or most of school, anyway, and would much rather stay here? Hogwarts had been a relief when he'd been living with his grandparents, granted, but now…well, the classes themselves were okay, and Lily was there, of course, but the Moronic Marauders were always doing their best to make his life miserable, he didn't even like most of his housemates all that much, and the headmaster and most of the professors weren't much use when it came to anything outside the subjects they taught. He barely held back a snort. He _definitely_ couldn't say the last, especially now that he knew Alastor and Dumbledore were friends—and old friends at that—and it wasn't like Alastor could do anything about the rest, so there wasn't really much point in talking about it.

"Severus?" Alastor prompted as the silence drew out.

"I'm okay. Really. School is just…school." He could handle it. He'd been managing for the last four and a half years, after all.

Alastor was quiet for a minute, and then, "All right, then." He patted Severus' chest lightly and then pushed himself back to his feet, tucking his crutch under his arm. "Goodnight. I'll wake you tomorrow morning."

* * *

"I'll be back in time for dinner," Severus promised. "And I'll wait at your desk if you aren't back yet."

"And you'll keep yourself out of mischief?"

"Yes, sir." He ducked the flick to his forehead with a quick grin. "Mean, yes, Alastor."

Alastor shook his head and flicked Severus' forehead again before gesturing towards the door. "Off with you, then, before I decide to make you stay and do my paperwork."

"We have a volunteer for paperwork?" Gideon asked, coming up behind Severus and slinging an arm around his shoulders. "You know, that's a brilliant idea. Our most charming department head was just mentioning that I'm several cases behind, and—"

"Alastor says I have to go, so I'll see you tonight," Severus interrupted, ducking away quickly. He didn't doubt that Gideon _did_ have a pile of paperwork sitting somewhere, and he probably wouldn't think twice about foisting it on some unsuspecting victim. Behind him, he heard Alastor's chuckle overlapping with Gideon's protest, and then he was out of the Auror Office and headed for the elevator.

It took longer than he expected for it to arrive, but that probably shouldn't have been a surprise given the time of day, and when he finally reached the ground floor, he found himself moving against a large crowd. Apparently the majority of people who worked here all liked to arrive at the same time. He did his best to move through the mass without actually running into anyone, but it was harder than it should have been. Especially when he caught sight of Malfoy—two Malfoys actually, Lucius and a man that had to be his father—standing just outside the press of bodies.

At first neither of them seemed to see him, their focus on something in the elder Malfoy's hands, but then Lucius glanced up, and—

Severus shook himself, apologizing quickly to the older man that he'd stumbled into when he caught Lucius' eye. He was being stupid. The two Malfoys were obviously here on business; it was just a coincidence that they'd seen each other. And Malfoy—Lucius—certainly wasn't going to suddenly attack him in a fit of pique in the middle of the Ministry. With another shake, and a casual glance to check that the crowd now obscured any view that they might have of him, he turned back for the door.

The feeling that he was being a little paranoid didn't prevent him from taking a careful look around when he got outside, but there was nothing suspicious to be seen. Just more people headed to work. He returned Marlene's quick wave when he caught sight of her—she was too far away to hold an actual conversation with—and then skirted the edge of the crowd to get out into Diagon Alley proper.

His…surprise…at seeing Malfoy faded as he walked. Yes, Malfoy was probably annoyed with him for breaking his deal with Riddle—particularly since Malfoy had been the one to set it up—but did one fifteen-year-old, even a talented one, really rate that much attention? Of course not. Oh, if there was something casually vicious that Malfoy could do, he probably would, but Severus didn't think that he'd exert himself for it. He hadn't done anything when they'd seen each other at the café, after all.

With a shake of his head, he checked the goo in his pocket. It was sunny today, for a change, but the temperature was still below freezing, and he wasn't sure what effect that would have. It didn't seem to be causing any problems, but he wouldn't really be able to tell until he started testing it. Unfortunately, it was early enough that the people on the street were obviously all the going-to-work sort as opposed to the out-for-a-day sort, and since bothering people on their way to work would definitely qualify as getting into mischief, he would have to occupy his time with something else for a little while.

Which lead to the contents of his other pocket. He took out the handful of coins that Alastor had given him before they'd flooed to the Ministry. A quick check showed that there was a more than sufficient amount to allow him to both obey the order not to skip lunch _and_ to stop at a bookstore or the apothecary. Well, if he had a light lunch, anyway.

He made his way down the Alley, glancing down each of the side streets in turn, not in any particular hurry, before deciding to stop for a few minutes in an out-of-the-way used bookstore that he couldn't recall visiting before.

The lighting wasn't the best, the shelving scheme was pretty haphazard, and the proprietor seemed less than interested in helping Severus find anything, but it _smelled_ like a bookstore, and it wasn't as though he was in any hurry. He found a few potions books first, but he had enough potions material to keep him busy for awhile. And the only defense book that jumped out at him was way out of his price range even if he skipped lunch entirely. There was a lot of fiction, but fiction had never been a particular interest of his and he was about to give up and go to one of the bigger bookstores, when he found a history book tucked in among the mess. It was an in-depth account of the dragon attacks that Mr. Prewett had been telling him about, and with a glance at the proprietor—who was still studiously ignoring him—he found a quiet corner to examine it in more detail.

"You would be Snape, correct?"

He was halfway through the third chapter, and it took a moment for the voice to penetrate. And when it did, he wasn't very happy. He hadn't really meant to read the book _in_ the bookstore, but he'd just reached a good part, and— Severus frowned as he finally looked up from his book and identified the intruder. Or kind of identified the intruder…the hair color was off, but her features were nearly a match for Narcissa Black's, and he knew Narcissa had two older sisters. But he'd never met either of them, and to his knowledge neither of them had any idea who he was.

"Yes," he acknowledged after a moment. There was something vaguely menacing about her, and he pushed himself to his feet as quickly as he could without being obvious about it. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you."

Her lip curled slightly. "Bellatrix Lestrange."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The eldest one, then, the one engaged—well, married, now, obviously—to Rodolphus Lestrange. The one rumored to be not too far from barking mad, if he remembered correctly…they were quiet rumors, of course, since the Blacks were an old family, but they were there all the same. But he hadn't done anything to offend her that he knew of, aside from being a half-blood, so he had no idea why she would be approaching him. Even if she just happened to be in the bookstore, there was no reason that either of them had to speak to each other. "May I help you with anything?" he asked.

"I must say, I'm a bit surprised to see you here."

The sense of menace was greater now, and he couldn't help but hope that those rumors of insanity had been greatly overstated. He made a dismissive gesture. "I've always been an avid reader. But I can't imagine that that's of any interest to you." Maybe he was blocking a bookshelf that she wanted to look at?

"I'd simply assumed that you'd suffered some sort of tragic injury when my dear Mr. Riddle said that you were no longer working for him."

Her 'dear Mr. Riddle'? Severus felt his stomach twist. This couldn't be a coincidence…could it? Seeing Malfoy, and then meeting some other friend of Riddle's—someone he'd never even _met_ before—in this little bookstore? And while he'd thought that Malfoy might be a minor threat...well, _Riddle_ was the one who'd attacked Alastor. Or someone working for Riddle, anyway. Someone without a lot of qualms about inflicting injuries.

Severus kept his expression as casual as he could as he examined her a little more closely. She hadn't done anything overtly threatening, but her current position neatly blocked any escape that he might have made. He still held the history book in his dominant hand, and he wished that he could put it down somewhere, just in case he needed his wand. That would give her too much of an advantage though, showing that kind of weakness, so he settled for a shake of his head. "No, I'm afraid that's not the case."

"You seemed so promising. You disappointed all of us."

Considering that they'd hurt Alastor and Gideon and who knew who else, Severus didn't give a rat's arse if he'd disappointed them, but he had better sense than to say anything of the sort. Of course, what he _should_ say…. "I believe the original terms were that we would see how the arrangement served all concerned. It no longer served me." He paused. "And as I heard it, the apothecary and my workroom were flattened this past summer and the facility has yet to be rebuilt—" he didn't know whether that was true or not, but given the state it had been in, he'd be exceedingly surprised if the owner had been willing to spend anything on restoring it—"which renders the entire thing somewhat moot."

Her entire face twisted into something grotesque, and Severus decided that enough was enough, shifting his book to his other hand and drawing his wand. He covered the gesture with a casual _Tempus_, but now he was armed and she wasn't, and he couldn't help but feel a little better about the whole situation. He gestured at the remains of the _Tempus_ spell. "I'm sorry, but it seems to be later than I realized. I need to be going. If you'll excuse me?" It wasn't the smoothest exit, maybe, but if it got him out of this bloody corner and away from this person, he'd happily take it.

For a moment he thought that she was going to object. And that maybe her curved fingers concealed a wand of her own tucked into her sleeve. However, with a slight sneer, she stepped aside. "I would consider my choice of acquaintances carefully, were I you."

"Good day," Severus murmured in return.

He barely remembered to pay for the book still clenched in his hand—_that_ the proprietor would probably have noticed—and then he escaped out into the street. Which suddenly seemed more crowded than it should be. Of course, people were probably getting out to do their shopping about now…it probably didn't mean anything.


	37. AU:  Worries

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

_

* * *

_Nothing and no one leaped out at him as he paused for a moment in front of the bookstore, trying to figure out what to do next, but despite the fact that there was no overt attack, he could feel his skin crawling and couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. The obvious conclusion was that his imagination was working overtime—after that unsettling encounter, it wasn't an unreasonable conclusion—but...well, it could be Bellatrix Lestrange, backtracking to follow him. For some unspecified reason. She did have the reputation of being less-than-entirely-sane, after all.

He looked around quickly, making only a token attempt at being subtle about it, but still saw no sign of her. Could Malfoy be watching him, maybe? But no, that was even more ridiculous, because he was at the Ministry with his father. Moreover, even if he wasn't, Malfoys weren't precisely the sort to lurk about on side streets just in case someone _happened_ to pass by. Severus was pretty sure that they had minions for things like that. Which...that wasn't actually a comforting thought.

Something clattered loudly just to his left, and he flinched despite himself. But it was just a shopkeeper hanging a new sign up above his door, nothing at all to do with Severus, and he gripped his book tightly in one hand, turned. He just needed to get out of this narrow alley, and—

He was so busy keeping scanning the crowd around him, trying to make sure that no one came up beside him unnoticed, that he completely missed the large man that appeared in front of him. At least until he slammed into the man's solid bulk and stumbled backwards, anyway. He flailed his arms to catch himself even as the man barked a sharp 'watch yourself' at him—barked a 'watch yourself' and reached out to grab his arm—and he jerked away. Maybe the man hadn't meant anything by it, but there was no way to tell and the way he felt right now he wasn't about to take the chance of letting anyone get a grip on him.

He shook himself, muttered an apology to an older man that his quick lurch had made him stumble into, and then quickened his pace. He could still feel that prickling sensation of being watched between his shoulder blades as he turned the corner and stepped out onto Diagon Alley proper, and he didn't like it.

As soon as he turned the corner, he had to dodge around a woman with two small children and a stack of trailing parcels, but she did nothing but give him a disapproving look and hurried on past. With another quick apology, he stepped back out of the main flow of traffic, moving to lean against the nearest building—a fresh-foods shop, according to the faded sign—and surveyed the street.

Diagon Alley was somehow brighter than the narrower alley had been, but he couldn't shake his wariness as he scanned the crowd in front of him. It was brighter here, yes, but the crowd was also understandably larger, and he didn't know any of them. And he was just one fifteen year old. He didn't think he was worth anyone's time, but he'd now run into two of Riddles…employees, or whatever they were, even if he didn't see any Malfoy consenting to be anyone's _employee_…and however much of a coincidence it had probably been running into the two of them, he didn't really want to meet any more. Especially if that man really had been grabbing for him. He tucked the book into one of his pockets, flattening his hands against the solid brick at his back.

Basic reasoning skills said that the man probably hadn't had any ulterior motives when he'd reached for Severus. After all, it was a natural enough reaction to grab at someone about to fall on his arse in front of you. But after Malfoy and Lestrange…well, he just didn't like it.

He drew his wand and sketched another _Tempus_ in the air, this time actually reading the results. It was nearly lunchtime, but he definitely didn't feel like eating anything, and none of the cafes would appreciate a teenager taking up one of their tables without purchasing anything more than a cup of tea. He could go to the other bookstore and find a place to sit down and get his bearings there, he supposed, but…well, given that Lestrange had found him in a bookstore, he wasn't sure how well that would work for helping him to calm himself. And he definitely didn't think that he'd be he'd be able to focus on any of the books, which rather defeated the point of going to a bookstore in the first place anyway. Even the idea of testing his goo on whatever unsuspecting classmates he could find suddenly didn't hold very much appeal.

He scanned the crowd again, but as far as he could tell no one was even paying the least bit of attention to him, and after a few minutes, he stepped back into the flow of traffic. He might as well go back to the Ministry for a little while…he had a new book to read, and Alastor wouldn't mind if Severus used his desk for a while. And no one was likely to bother him in the middle of the Auror Office.

The crowd at the Ministry was much smaller now that everyone was at work, and he made his way in the front doors and then through the Atrium and to the lift without any issue.

"Hold that!" a male voice yelled as Severus hit the appropriate button, and Severus did as he was asked without thought. "Thanks, mate," a man—young, maybe three or four years older than himself—said as he ducked inside, and Severus mentally cursed himself.

If he'd had any sense, he'd have let the door shut in the man's face. Now he was stuck in a tiny metal box with a total stranger, which, after his earlier encounters, didn't seem to be the best place to be. "No problem," he said after a moment, feigning boredom to hide his uncertainty. "Where are you headed?"

"Auror Office, level two." He paused, checking the lit button. "Oh, you're already going there."

"Mm," Severus said in return.

"Hey, wait a minute, I know you."

Severus glanced over at him again. He did look vaguely familiar, but that didn't necessarily mean anything but that Severus had passed him in the halls at Hogwarts at some point in his earlier years. At least he didn't look obviously threatening.

"Yeah, you were at Frank's party a couple weeks ago," the man said with a nod. "Severin something, right? You were there with a couple of the older Aurors."

"Severus. Snape." He paused, frowning. His memories of the later part of that night were still pretty fuzzy, but…. "You brought the _Wizard Weekly_, right? You were thinking about entering the curse breaking competition."

The man grinned. "That's me."

Severus shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember your name."

"Daniel Goldstein." He offered a hand, and Severus shook it automatically.

"Did you ever enter the competition?"

"Nah, a curse-breaker from Gringotts won before I got the chance. You think they'd make a rule that people who have a _career_ in curse breaking aren't allowed to enter. It's just not fair to the rest of us."

Severus shrugged as the lift stopped to let them out. "Maybe they will for the next competition."

"Yeah, maybe. They said something about sponsoring another one this month, but I haven't seen any details about it yet."

They entered the Auror Office together, and two figures in red Aurors' robes—Frank and a woman Severus vaguely remembered from Frank's party—immediately moved to join them.

"You're late, cousin, we were about to leave without you," the woman said with a grin.

"Yeah, well, Mum asked me to make a couple deliveries on my way. The life of a shop owner's son, you know." Daniel shrugged. "Of course, since winter set in she's started hinting about she and Dad handing over the store to me and retiring to some sunny beach somewhere, so I may end up a shop owner myself in the near future."

His put-upon expression got laughter from the two Aurors and then Frank seemed to notice Severus standing awkwardly on the edge of the group. Mostly because he hadn't been able to see a way to get past the two Aurors without barging straight through them.

"Oh, Severus, are you looking for Alastor?" Frank asked. "He and Gideon left this morning. I don't think they're expected back for another few hours."

"I…yes, I know. I had a couple errands to run in Diagon Alley today that I finished more quickly than I expected. I figured I could just wait for him here until he got back." The explanation sounded a little odd to his ears, especially since he could just as easily floo home from here rather than sit around waiting, but none of the three seemed to think anything was amiss.

"Oh, sure. Do you know where his desk is?" the woman—she'd been a Gryffindor too, and about the same age as Frank Severus thought—asked, stepping aside to let him pass.

"Yes, thank you." He nodded politely to Daniel and then two the two of them as well. "It was nice to see you again."

They nodded in return and then headed for the lift, leaving him to make his way to the other side of the office to Alastor's desk. He probably _should_ just floo home, but…well, he had a book to read, and he could read just as easily here as there. And, anyway, Alastor was expecting him to be here.

* * *

"Severus?"

Severus was once again focused on his book, the new voice taking a minute to penetrate, but this time when he looked up he was pleased enough with the interruption. "Hello, Fabian. I thought Alastor said you were in France or something?"

"Well, I was, but what a waste of a trip it was. The informant never showed up, and we were on the clock the whole time so I didn't even get to pick up any wine." He sighed and shook his head. "Then again, I suppose sometimes quiet is the best thing you can ask for. I can't say I expected to see you here though."

"Alastor said we were going out to dinner tonight, and I had a couple things I wanted to do in Diagon Alley before then, but I guess I finished early." Or at least he didn't really want to go out there again just yet. He shrugged.

"Did something happen?"

His expression had turned serious, and Severus was reminded again that, generally joking nature aside, Fabian had a reputation as a first-rate Auror for a reason. "It's nothing important."

"Are you sure about that?"

"It's…." He paused. Fabian knew what he'd done, so there was no reason not to tell him what had happened. Or at least part of it, anyway. "Do you know of a woman named Bellatrix Lestrange? Or Black, it used to be?"

If anything, Fabian's expression became even more serious, and he signaled for Severus to stand. "Come with me."

Severus didn't really want to go into the interrogation room that Fabian led him to, but Fabian's hand on his back didn't leave him much of a choice. "I didn't do anything, honest," he said as the door shut behind him.

"Hm?" Fabian looked a little startled, and then he shook his head and smiled slightly. "I know that, Severus; I'm not accusing you of anything. I promise. But from your expression, that wasn't an idle question, and I'd like to know what led to it. And I don't want anyone listening in." He gestured for Severus to take a seat and then took the opposite chair. "I take it something did happen earlier?"

"It's probably nothing." He shrugged awkwardly. "I needed something to do this morning—everyone on the street was on their way to work, and Alastor would have been upset if I'd bothered them—so I went to this used bookstore." Severus couldn't help but feel a little stupid as he related the story…the closest thing Bellatrix Lestrange had done to threatening had been to stand between Severus and the exit, and since he'd been pretty much in a corner, there hadn't really been anywhere else a person _would_ stand. Even the comments had just been…comments. Not very nice ones, maybe, but everyone knew how the Blacks felt about half-bloods, and she hadn't even drawn her wand on him. And when Fabian drew the rest of the story out of him—seeing the Malfoys at the Ministry and then the man in the alley—it sounded even more ridiculous. It was obviously three totally unrelated experiences. The last of which had probably just been his imagination working a little too hard. There had been no reason for him to run back here like a little child.

Fabian didn't seem to find anything amusing about any of it, though, making Severus repeat himself several times and then give the best description of the man that he could. A description that wasn't very good, unfortunately since Severus had just wanted to get away, but he did the best he could.

"All right," Fabian said finally. "I think that's enough for now. But if you remember anything else, you're to tell me, you understand? Me, or Alastor, or Gideon, or Caradoc."

"I will," Severus promised.

Fabian gave him a quick smile. "And why don't you let me tell Alastor and Gideon about this first when they get back?" he suggested. "Alastor's likely to be a little unhappy."

Alastor was likely to be worried, if Fabian's response was anything to go by, Severus realized. And a worried Alastor was an angry Alastor. He hadn't really planned to tell his guardian about what had happened at all—since nothing had actually happened—but since he had told Fabian it was probably a moot point. Even if he asked, he didn't see Fabian agreeing to keep everything to himself. "Yeah, I guess that would be okay."

"All right." Fabian led them back out of the interrogation room. "Why don't you go on back to your book for now, and we'll all go get some dinner when Alastor and Gideon get back. I think Gideon got us reservations at that new Italian place that just opened. Did you have any lunch at all?"

"I wasn't very hungry."

"Well, I think I've got a few unclaimed chocolate frogs in my desk that could stand to be someone's snack. Depending on how long their interview runs—or if they end up needing to do more than one—we may still have an hour or two."

Severus accepted the chocolate with a quick thanks and then did his best to go back to reading. Unfortunately, the next set of chapters seemed to consist entirely of tedious list after tedious list of property damaged by dragons—he was starting to think one particular woman had listed each piece of glassware in her house individually and by name—and when he finally heard Alastor's voice, it pulled him right back out of the story.

Fabian's voice overlapped Alastor's and Gideon's almost immediately afterward, before Alastor even made it to his desk, and then silence fell as the three of them headed the other way down the hall. The three of them and Caradoc as well, since Severus heard Fabian called for his partner as they went.

There was no hope of reading any more after that, and Severus traced scratches in the desktop lightly as he waited for them to finish. It wasn't that he thought that he was in trouble—Fabian had assured him that he wasn't—but….

Alastor's footsteps were distinctive, and Severus pushed himself to his feet as he came around the corner.

"Did she hurt you?" Alastor demanded as he came to a halt in front of Severus.

"No, sir."

Alastor squeezed the back of his neck lightly. "You're certain? Not at all?"

"She didn't even touch me," Severus said, looking up to meet his eyes. "I swear."

Alastor's frown remained for a minute, and then he nodded slightly and squeezed Severus' neck again. "All right. If you're sure. But if you ever see her again—if she ever even _approaches_ you—I expect to hear about it. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"And this man, you're certain that you've never seen him before? _He _didn't hurt you?"

"No." Severus shook his head quickly. "And it probably wasn't anything," he added after a minute. "I mean, I did run into him."

"Aye, maybe, but there's no reason not to be vigilant. I don't like coincidences." He paused. "Think I'd best have a word with Albus, just in case."

That was about the last thing Severus wanted—the more Alastor and Dumbledore talked, the more likely it was that Alastor would find out about his problems at school—but he couldn't exactly object on those grounds. "You don't have to."

"Vigilance," Alastor repeated, tapping the bridge of his nose lightly. "There are a few of y—" He broke off sharply with a shake his head. "Well, never mind; this is hardly the time or the place for that. You were a clever lad to come right back here after this morning." He paused. "Do you still want to go to dinner tonight? We could pick up food and take it home instead, if you'd rather. Maybe play a few games? I don't think Fabian or Gideon would mind."

"I'm okay. Going out to dinner still sounds good." Nobody was likely to bother him with not only Alastor but two—or possibly three, if Caradoc was going with them—other Aurors around him. "But maybe we could play one more chess game when we get home?"

Alastor smiled slightly. "Aye, well, I expect it would be a shame to send you back to school without kicking your tail first."

"You won't," Severus objected.

"All right, then. We'll go get that dinner now and have a game later. Provided you've got all your schoolwork done."

"Schoolwork?" Gideon protested, craning his head around the corner. "Merlin, Alastor, are you _trying_ to traumatize him?"

* * *

Severus glanced out the window one last time as the train started to move and then turned his attention back to Lily as she began to describe her holiday. As much as he hadn't wanted to get on this stupid train, at least they didn't have to worry about the Moronic Marauders interrupting them on this trip. Being able to hold an uninterrupted conversation with Lily had to be worth at least a week of school. Of course, there were _months_ until the Easter holiday, and he noticed that she was still wearing that stupid bracelet, but….

He shook his head slightly. At least Alastor hadn't mentioned speaking to Dumbledore again after that first comment. Of course, that didn't mean that he wouldn't—Alastor wasn't exactly the sort to forget things, even if Severus had been careful not to bring the subject up again—but at least it gave him some hope of reprieve.

"Severus, are you all right?" Lily asked, interrupting her story about a dinner with Vernon Dursley in attendance. "You look like you're not quite all here."

"I'm fine." He shook his head and gave her a quick smile. "Sorry, I was just up late last night." Well, it had already been late when they'd come home from dinner, and then one chess game had turned into one chess game plus another game of scrabble when Alastor had beaten him, and he'd only ended up getting a few hours of sleep. Not that he'd really minded, and he was pretty sure Alastor hadn't either. "You said he brought tulips because he couldn't tell the difference between them and petunias?"


	38. AU:  Back to School

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

_

* * *

_"I cannot believe those…those _boys_!" Lily slammed the door to the Potions classroom with a bang.

Severus stared at her for a moment. "Lily? Are you okay? What's wrong?" When they'd made plans to meet after classes today to do a little potions work, she'd been in a perfectly good mood.

"How old are they, anyway?" she demanded, ignoring his question as she stamped over to join him by the counter. "_Twelve?_ It's bad enough that every year when the second years learn reflecting charms, some bloody idiot gets the bright idea to turn his boot-tops reflective so he can look up girls' skirts, but you'd think that fifth years would be above that sort of nonsense!"

"Uh…."

"And one of them a prefect too! Professor McGonagall wanted his badge for that, but the headmaster insisted that there had been no real harm done and let them off with only a month of detentions! Can you _believe_ it?"

Severus could believe almost anything out of the headmaster, especially since he was almost certain that this entire rant was about the Moronic Marauders. And _something_ had definitely happened involving them over the holidays, that much he knew. He had yet to hear any credible rumors about what it might have been, which was something of a miracle considering the speed at which gossip normally spread at Hogwarts, but all four of them had been keeping their heads down since classes had started again. Black and Potter had only tried to trip him in the halls two or three times apiece in the week that they'd been back, and he hadn't seen much of Pettigrew or Lupin at all outside of classes.

Lily didn't even seem to notice his lack of response, swinging her pack off her shoulder and nearly slamming it to the floor. "Those _boys_!"

"What happened?" he asked cautiously when she seemed content to glare at the line of potions ingredients rather than elaborating on whatever those idiots had actually done.

Outrage was clearly written on her face as she looked up at him. "They tried to put see-all spell in the Gryffindor girls' _bathroom_! Can you _believe_ it?"

As much as he wanted to say 'Yes, actually, and with very little trouble,' he settled for making a sympathetic noise. He didn't have any desire whatsoever to have that anger turned on him.

"If that whiny ghost girl on the second floor hadn't heard them trying it out on _her_ bathroom first and told Miss Wicket who told Nearly Headless Nick who told Professor McGonagall, we'd never even have _known_!" She scowled. "I think boys are just _awful_."

"Uh…." Severus had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to respond to a statement like that. _He_ didn't particularly want to be considered awful, but the longer she stayed angry at the Marauders in general and James-bloody-Potter in particular the better, in his opinion.

"Oh, uh, Happy Birthday." She winced. "Sorry, I spilled tea on my robes in Divination and stopped in the second-floor bathroom on my way down here to try and get it out before the stain set, and that's when I got an earful from that ghost girl about everything that happened. While I was scrubbing. And the whole bloody thing just makes me so bloody _furious_." She pulled a package out of her pack and then winced at the ripped paper and the large dent in the side. "Oops. Sorry again."

"That's okay." It was a box of sweets from Honeydukes—the same thing she'd given him every year since they'd started at Hogwarts—and he opened it and offered her her choice before selecting one for himself. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And I saw you got a couple packages at breakfast, too. Did your guardian send you something?"

"Yeah. Alastor sent me a new game—" one that he didn't expect to get to try until Easter since it required four players, and the odds of getting any of his acquaintance-type friends in his house to play a Muggle game were pretty much nil—"and Molly and Arthur sent me a new hat and mittens." That gift had been totally unexpected, and if the hat and mittens matched the sweater that they'd given him for Christmas right down to the hideous color combination, they were nice and warm. And the note that had accompanied Alastor's gift had said nothing about any communication with the headmaster which, even if it wasn't conclusive of anything, gave Severus at least a little reassurance.

"Molly and Arthur?"

"Friends of Alastor's. One of Molly's brothers is Alastor's partner. They're nice."

"Well, that was nice of them. Don't forget to send a thank you note." She gestured at the ingredients he'd set out. "Uh, so what's all this? At least a couple of these jars didn't come from the storeroom."

"You remember I told you about that fireworks kit that I got for Christmas?" He'd decided against setting any fireworks off in the middle of Astronomy class in the interests of self-preservation, but that didn't mean that he'd decided against setting any off at all.

* * *

Severus glanced up as an owl came within a few inches of his head and then grinned and held up his hands. He had no idea what spell the Prewetts used to color their owl's feathers, or why it cooperated with them when they did it, but that was one _very_ distinctive bird. A moment later, the owl obligingly dropped its package into his hands, and he caught it before it could hit the table and flipped it over to check the writing on the front. The words 'Happy Birthday' were bouncing haphazardly—'Sorry it's late, it's Gideon's fault' and 'It is not, that's a base lie' occasionally making an appearance as well—and he grinned. He hadn't been entirely sure that the Prewetts would send anything…he'd kind of been hoping that they might, but when he hadn't received anything last week, he'd figured that it wasn't happening.

He turned the package over again, weighing it in his hands, and then held it up to his ear and shook it lightly, but neither action gave him any indication as to _what_ they might have sent. The weight was about right for it to be a book, but the shape was wrong …it looked more like a box of some sort inside the wrapping, but nothing had rattled and no immediate ideas about what might be in it came to mind.

He glanced towards the High Table, trying to decide if it was safe to open the package here. The majority of his housemates were ignoring him, as usual, so that wouldn't be an issue, but knowing Gideon and Fabian it might be better if the prof— He caught the headmaster looking back at him as his eyes swept down the line of professors and looked away quickly. No, best not to open it here, just to be safe.

He moved the box to his lap with some reluctance and offered the parrot-colored owl who'd taken up a perch on the back of his chair the remaining strips of bacon from his plate. And then gave him the rest from Mulciber's plate as well, since the tray in the middle of the table was empty and Mulciber was too busy arguing with Green about the upcoming Quidditch match between Puddlemere United and some visiting Canadian team to notice anyway.

When he thought about it, the headmaster had been doing that a lot lately since he'd arrived back at school. Watching him. He hadn't actually _approached_ Severus, for which Severus couldn't help but be grateful even if he didn't know how long that happy state of affairs was going to last, but the sideways glances were becoming more and more frequent. And annoying. Especially when they meant that he had to wait until he got back to his room to open his present. But it wasn't like he could tell the headmaster not to look at him any more, so….

Severus managed to slip away from the table shortly thereafter, heading for his room. He could probably manage to get his present unwrapped and hidden away with the others and still make it to class on time. And even if he didn't quite make it, this year's defense professor was scatterbrained enough that she probably wouldn't even notice. Not that she was really a bad teacher, or at least she was no worse than any of the rest of the Defense professors had been during his time at Hogwarts, but frankly Aberdeen was less easily distracted.

"Ah, Mr. Snape."

Severus turned a startled curse into a less-than-convincing cough and barely managed to avoid tripping over his own two feet and falling down the last few steps. As it was, he still ended up staggering down, nearly turning an ankle in an attempt to keep from falling into the headmaster. How in the bloody _hell_ had the man managed to get in front of him? Severus knew every tunnel and offshoot that there was down here in the dungeons; there was no way that he should have been able to cut Severus off. But then again, there was no way that the headmaster should be able to do half the things he did, so…. Severus made sure that his expression was clear as he raised his head to meet the headmaster's eyes. "My apologies; I didn't see you there."

"No, no, I fear that the fault was mine. I didn't mean to startle you."

He was smiling that annoying half-smile that said absolutely nothing, and after a moment Severus was forced to speak again or be left staring in awkward silence since stepping around the headmaster and continuing down the corridor would be just a _little_ obvious. "I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I should be getting my things for class. I wouldn't want to be late."

"Of course, we wouldn't want that, but do you mind if I walk with you?"

'Hell yes,' was obviously an inappropriate thing to say to what was equally obviously not a question—even if it was true—so Severus settled for a slight nod. "By all means. Is there something that I can do for you?"

"No, nothing in particular. Although I must say that I was a bit surprised to see you at the Weasleys' New Years party."

The feeling was entirely mutual, although Severus would have added 'dismayed' as well. Actually he would have put 'dismayed' first. He kept his mouth shut.

"So you're staying with Alastor, then? Permanently?"

"Until I'm of age, yes." A small knot of Ravenclaws hurried past them, obviously on their way to Potions class, but other than them, the corridors had pretty much emptied.

"He's an unusual choice of guardian, I must say."

Severus supposed that that was true enough, at least on the surface, but since the headmaster's words had been phrased as an observation rather than a question, they didn't require a response on his part. Severus opened the panel to the Slytherin common rooms and gestured politely for the headmaster to precede him.

"Why did you choose Alastor, if I may ask?"

"He offered." Severus turned into his room and set down on his bed—as casually as he could—the box from the Prewetts. Which had added 'Is so, Gideon' and 'Shut up, Fabian' to the selection of messages scrolling across it, Severus noted. But the box still remained unopened, damn it all, and the more Severus thought about it the more curious he was going to get. It would probably be lunchtime before he could get back down here.

"Ah." That answer seemed to leave the headmaster somewhat nonplussed, but he recovered quickly enough. "And you prefer him over your grandparents?"

"Yes." He thought that he might actually prefer _Dumbledore_ over his grandparents. But that was yet another impolitic thing to say, and Severus picked up the nearest book. One that had nothing to do with any class that he was taking today, but that didn't really matter since getting a book had just been an excuse anyway. "My apologies, but if that's all that you wished to know, I really should be getting to Defense. If I don't hurry, I will be late."

"You're right, and it would hardly do for the headmaster to be the cause of such a thing without good reason." Dumbledore smiled, and once again Severus could read nothing in his expression as he stepped out of the Slytherin quarters at Severus' side. "But perhaps we could speak again later?"

Hell no. "Of course."

Professor Schmidt glared at him for all of eight seconds when he arrived several minutes late for class—which might actually have been a record for her—and then let him take a seat while she got back to lecturing about counter-curses. Lily threw him a slightly concerned look, the Moronic Marauders, minus Lupin, smirked, and no one else paid the least bit of attention. So, a normal day.

"Where were you?" Lily asked quietly, coming up beside him as the class came to an end. "It's not like you to be late."

Not when those four idiots weren't giving him trouble, anyway, and apparently Professor McGonagall had put quite the fright into them, because they still seemed to be putting actual effort into staying out of trouble. Potter and Black were still the only ones harassing Severus, and even that was confined to minor shoves and tripping attempts in the corridors between classes. "I forgot a book and had to go back to my room for it, and then Dumbledore wanted to chat."

"_Professor_ Dumbledore."

"Right. Him."

She gave him a disapproving frown but didn't press the issue. "What did he want to talk to you about? _You_ haven't been up to anything, have you?"

"What? No." Why did people always accuse him of things? "Apparently he's an old friend of Alastor's. He just wanted to talk to me for a minute." Even if he hadn't really asked anything, and Severus had a strong, unhappy feeling that he was going to be cornered again at some point in the near future.

"Mm." She didn't look entirely convinced.

"So, do you want to try and shoot those fireworks off tonight?" he asked quickly, trying to change the subject.

She frowned. "I'm still not sure we should."

"Why not? We showed Slughorn the directions, and he was fine with us making them, and we have to test them sometime. There's no point in doing it during the day, we'd barely be able to see them." He grinned slightly. "We're finally supposed to have a clear night tonight, even if it means the temperature drops with it."

"Well, that new spell of yours will take care of whatever the temperature is, anyway," she said after a minute. "You still need to teach that to me. And you're right we don't get all that many nights that are cloud-free."

He grinned. "So we'll do it, then."


	39. AU: Fireworks

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

* * *

The multicolored explosions overhead were even more impressive going off in concert than they had been when he and Alastor had tested a similar collection one at a time, but most of Severus' attention was on the pretty girl hanging on his right arm. Of course, he was well aware that it was purely platonic on her part as Lily gestured upward with her free hand and said something that he couldn't make out over the sound of the explosions, but…well, he could always hope. Wish. Whatever.

The last firework finally spent itself in a flare of gold and green, and as his ears readjusted to the quiet, he realized that he could hear muttering being carried up on the breeze. When he craned his neck to look over the chest-high tower wall, he found a large crowd of students out on Hogwarts grounds below them, staring upwards into the sky where the fireworks had been. Which, given the volume of the fireworks, he should probably have expected, and at least no one had ventured up to the Astronomy tower to watch them. And equally fortunately magical fireworks didn't leave a firetrail in the sky to betray their origin; part of their 'magic' Severus supposed, although the actual explanation had nothing to do with the waving of wands and everything to do with properly mixing the propellant.

Of course, since the fireworks _hadn't_ gone unnoticed, there were probably professors scouring the castle for whoever might have set them off, which mean that he and Lily should be getting back to their rooms about now. He'd checked—mostly at Lily's insistence—and they hadn't actually broken any existing rules doing this, but better to avoid the situation all together than have the headmaster start making up new rules on the spot. As had happened on a few occasions before, albeit mostly in situations where the Moronic Marauders were also involved, but in Severus' experience he always seemed to make them enforceable retroactively and that was a situation they didn't need to be in. But there was a chance that said professors might start on the grounds, since that's where all the students seemed to be, which would give him a few more minutes with Lily tucked ag— He frowned, taking half-a-step forward and squinting into the darkness.

"Severus? Is something wrong?"

"What?" He shook his head. "Oh, no, I was just thinking that we should probably get inside and back to our rooms." For a moment, he could have sworn that he'd seen two or three figures moving farther away from the school rather than turning to go back inside as the rest were starting to do, but that didn't make any sense. During the day one could assume that they were off to visit Hagrid or the greenhouses, but at this time of night? In the cold? He stared into the distance for a moment longer, but he couldn't make out anything distinct, so he shook his head and waved his wand to dispel the warming charm. It had probably just been a trick of the moonlight and shadows.

Lily help him to brush the few ashes that the fireworks had left behind when they'd been ignited off the edge of the tower, and then the two of them started down the winding stairs. And Severus nearly tripped over a silver tabby bounding up the stairs as they came around the corner.

Professor McGonagall neatly dodged Severus' foot, moving back down a few steps before transfiguring herself back into a human. "Miss Evans. Mr. Snape."

Severus refrained from cursing his bloody bad luck—at least out loud—and mumbled an apology for nearly stepping on her; Lily managed a polite greeting.

She accepted both with a nod, and then, "Might I ask what the two of you are doing up here at this time of night?"

"Revising," Severus said when it was obvious that Lily wouldn't. "Until half the sky lit up, anyway. I don't _believe_ we've missed curfew…."

"You haven't," she agreed, although she was obviously unconvinced by his excuse. "Cutting it a bit close, perhaps, but you haven't missed it. But it occurs to me that this seems a rather inconvenient place for revising. It's cold up here." A quick frown at the stone walls. "The insulation spells must need renewing again."

"Oh, we were outside," Lily said with a shake of her head. "Severus knows a brilliant spell for keeping out the chill."

"Mm. And I don't suppose you noticed anyone else lurking about up here?"

"No, Professor," she said. "Except for us, it was deserted."

"And do you mind if I ask why neither of you felt the need to bring books or notes with you for revising?"

It was Severus' turn to shake his head. "We were working on Astronomy." Of course, her next—and quite reasonable—question would probably be why neither of them had a _telescope_ with them if they were doing Astronomy, and Severus had no good answer for that, but it was a little too late to claim they'd come up here to snog or something like that. Nor would he ever be able to say such a thing about the two of them without turning red and stuttering and making an idiot of himself, anyway. "It was a clear night before the fireworks started, and we haven't had many of those," he said instead.

"If you would pardon us, we should be getting back to our rooms," Lily said with a quick smile.

"I think perhaps we should all pay a visit to the headmaster first."

Severus' first instinct was to protest that she couldn't prove anything, but that sort of thing had never worked for him before—nor was it a statement made by one who was claiming innocence—so….

Lily looked considerably more upset about McGonagall's pronouncement than he was, but then, she didn't have quite the amount of experience being in trouble that he did either, and the trip to the headmaster's study was made in silence.

Professor McGonagall muttered a few words about Lemon somethings as they approached the door, and it swung open obligingly.

"Ah, Minerva," the headmaster said as she stepped inside, Severus and Lily following behind. "I trust that the students are all safely back ins—and what is this?"

"I left Filius and Horace still rounding up the last of those who went outside to watch the show, but I believe I've found our culprits."

"You've no proof," Severus muttered under his breath, but neither of them heard him, and Lily shushed him before he could say anything else.

"I can't prove it conclusively, of course," she continued, echoing his words, "but you must admit that two students revising without books or study materials is rather suspicious. And while I can think of other explanations for being up on the Astronomy Tower, they both smelled strongly of ash and potion remnants when I found them coming down."

Severus bit back a curse at that. _He _couldn't smell anything, but of course, her senses were heightened in her cat form. And it wasn't as though either he or Lily had made any attempt to remove the few bits of ash that had landed on them or the residue that had probably rubbed off a few of the fireworks as they'd carried them up either.

"Mr. Snape and Miss Evans," Dumbledore said slowly, tapping his fingers on the desktop lightly. "I can't say that I expected to see either of you tonight. Particularly you, Miss Evans."

Because he was always a suspect whenever anything potentially wrong happened at the castle, Severus thought, but he didn't bother to voice it. Though, when considered objectively, absurdly loud explosions at odd times were more in the realm of the Moronic Marauders than himself. It was a shame that he and Lily hadn't managed to get back to their rooms without being discovered; maybe those four would have taken the blame.

Professor McGonagall seemed to take Dumbledore's diverted attention as dismissal, nodding sharply to him before turning and exiting the study.

"Well, I don't suppose that either of you have anything to say for yourselves?" Dumbledore asked as the door swung shut behind her.

"We didn't break any rules," Severus said firmly, abandoning the pretense that they'd had nothing to do with the fireworks. He'd hoped to avoid any confrontation with the staff entirely, but since they'd clearly been discovered….

"I suspect that our opinions will differ on that matter."

Nothing unusual there. Severus shook his head.

"I suppose one of you picked them up at home over the holidays?" Dumbledore continued without waiting for either of them to say anything, looking at Severus as he spoke.

"No, we did not," Severus returned, before Lily could say anything. "And as I said, we _didn't_ break any rules. The caretaker was very specific when he read the list of banned items at the Welcoming Feast: fireworks were on the list of things that may not be _brought_ to Hogwarts. He didn't say anything about making them here. And there is nothing anywhere in the Hogwarts rules that said that you can't shoot said fireworks off the Astronomy Tower either."

Dumbledore's expression turned from the standard vaguely disappointed look he generally wore when issuing reprimands to entirely disapproving. "Clearly an oversight that will be rectified in the future. And I'm sure you're aware that what you did violates the spirit of the rule if not the precise letter. Both of you."

This time Lily was included in his glance, and she gulped and murmured something unintelligible before returning her gaze to the ground.

Severus kept his mouth shut—he didn't have a response for the accusation aside from repeating that they still hadn't broken any actual rule, anyway—and his stare focused forward.

"Professor Slughorn has mentioned your shared…affinity…for making potions on several occasions," Dumbledore finally continued, "including the shall we say independent studies that you've been involved with. While normally I'm very much in favor of students continuing their education outside the classroom, especially since he's indicated that you're both quite talented, I'm now wondering if he's perhaps given you a bit too much leeway in this area."

Severus tried to keep himself from outright scowling, but he wasn't at all sure that he was successful. It wasn't like Dumbledore really gave a rat's arse about what they did unless it disturbed him…what harm had the fireworks done to anyone? It was a full moon tonight; there wasn't even any danger of any of the other students tripping when they went back inside!

"We have OWLs this year," Lily managed to say, clearly surprised by his words. "It's important that we study."

"Taking into account what Professor Slughorn has said about you and what you seem to have accomplished tonight, I don't see the Potions OWL being of any great concern to either of you. As you said," he glanced at Severus, "you didn't actually break a specific rule setting _off_ the fireworks, and you aren't out after curfew so I can't impose detentions for that—"

Severus managed—barely—to refrain from pointing out that that a lack of an actual reason had never stopped him from giving detentions before and forced his expression back to neutral.

"—but making potential explosives on school grounds is certainly worthy of two weeks of detention. And luring other students outside at night in freezing cold weather is probably worth another week. And unless you'd like that extended, I think your free time would best be spent in places other than the potions laboratory for the foreseeable future."

"But you can't _do_ that," Severus objected without thinking. The detentions he didn't really care about. Granted that a week for 'luring' other students outside was the sort of ridiculousness that he'd come to expect out of the headmaster—if the idiots went outside without their cloaks on or warming spells in use it was their own bloody faults—but he'd probably spent nearly two-thirds of his non-class time at Hogwarts in some form of detention so it wasn't exactly anything new. But doing potions on the side with Lily was about the only thing that made this place even slightly bearable. If Dumbledore took that away, Severus didn't know what he'd do. Go mad, probably.

"I think you'll find that I can."

Severus shook his head. This couldn't be happening. They _hadn_'t broken any rules, and bugger 'potential explosives,' students blew things up all the time with spells gone wrong and no one said a word. Merlin, some of them did it with spells gone _right_. He clenched his jaw. But no, why would any of _that_ matter when he wasn't one of the favored students who could get away with whatever they bloody well wanted.

Lily tried to object as well, but Dumbledore overrode her words as quickly as he had Severus'. Of course, he was back to vaguely disappointed cheerfulness and twinkling eyes when he spoke to her, but….

* * *

"It's not _fair_," Severus said with a scowl, tossing his books down on the table with enough force that it would have earned him a reprimand from the librarian if she'd been around. But she didn't seem to be at the moment, so he didn't particularly care.

"No luck?" Lily asked, although she clearly knew the answer.

"No." Not only was he not one of the headmasters favored students, he wasn't influential enough to have any sway with his head of house—and coincidentally the school Potions professor—either. If Dumbledore had made a pronouncement preventing someone like _Malfoy _from doing something that he wanted to, Slughorn would probably find reasons to look the other way, but for Severus? It would never happen. "You could try," he suggested. "He likes you."

She shook her head. "I asked after class yesterday. Not for him to let us do anything against the headmaster's wishes, but maybe to work supervised while he was grading papers or something. He said that he wishes he could, but…."

"Dumbledore…blah…blah…rules…blah…blah. Yeah, I heard the same bloody thing."

"Well, at least the detentions are done," she said after a moment. "And Professor Dumbledore was right about us not really needing the study time for the Potions OWL...not that I don't prefer working on potions, but I probably should spend be more time on History of Magic and Transfiguration and Astronomy than I do. And Charms and Herbology too of course, but I'm more confident in those than the other three." She shook her head. "Divination is just hogwash; I should have done like you did and dropped it and kept Ancient Runes."

"I guess." He _didn't_ agree with the headmaster. He was perfectly capable of deciding where his revision time went all by himself, thank you very much. And while the detentions had helped to at least kept his mind off their lost potions work, now that he'd finished scrubbing everything in the trophy room three times over, he found himself with too much free time. Most of which was spent thinking about that lost work and the unfairness of said headmaster. He and Lily could sneak into the dungeons and work in an empty room—there were more of them than one would think—and he might do that for himself, but there was no way that Lily would agree to work with him in that situation. All things considered, she liked rules…getting around them with the fact that setting off fireworks wasn't actually forbidden or working under Slughorn's supervision was one thing, but she'd never outright disobey the headmaster. He'd thought for all of thirty seconds about telling Alastor what had happened in one of their owl exchanges and asking if he had any ideas, but Alastor had already said that he didn't much like the idea of Severus and Lily working unsupervised so he probably wouldn't be very sympathetic.

"Did you have anything to do with Lupin's ears?" Lily asked as he made himself sit down in the chair across from her and flip his Arithmancy book open.

"I was aiming for Black's dish."

She didn't look happy at that pronouncement, but he decided that for once he didn't care. The birthday present from Fabian and Gideon had been just about the only bright spot in the past three weeks. A prankster's dream, the box had contained dozen small vials of clear liquid, each of which had a single—short term and mostly cosmetic, unfortunately, but it wasn't as though two Aurors would send him anything permanently damaging—effect. Severus would have liked to reverse engineer a few of them, and he was trying to avoid using any of them up entirely in case he got the opportunity to try, but he'd been amusing himself at meals with the rest.

He hadn't been able to target the Marauders specifically since that would be an obvious giveaway as to the culprit, but watching the gormless wonder that was the Ravenclaw seeker flush bright red for no good reason and stay that way for a solid hour had been amusing. Especially sine he'd got his greasy fingerprints all over a trophy that Severus had just polished not an hour before. Raising Ellen Royal's voice an octave hadn't accomplished much since her voice was already high-pitched enough to give any sane wizard pause, but making Lupin's ears wiggle uncontrollably for ten minutes during breakfast this morning had been amusing. Of course, it took a great deal of concentration to hover a single drop of liquid into a person's food without it being noticed, and he'd lost several drops when he'd had his concentration broken for one reason or another, but he'd had more successes than failures thus far.

"What question are you on?" he asked, hoping to redirect her attention away from what could easily be a forthcoming lecture.

"Fifteen." She tapped her quill against the page lightly. "I think I'm losing a three somewhere, but I just can't see it."

He pulled out his parchment. "Well, I've got an answer for that one, but I'm not s—"

"Oh, come on, Evans, why do you always spend so much time with _him_?" an annoying and decidedly unwelcome voice said from behind Severus, and Severus put a hand on his wand and twisted to scowl at the new arrival.

"Potter, what a surprise. I wouldn't have guessed that you knew where the library was. Or did you just make a wrong turn somewhere? Remember, Gryffindor Tower is—"

"Potter, we're trying to study," Lily interrupted. "We have a quiz tomorrow."

Severus didn't turn back to look at her—he had better sense than to turn his back on even one of the Moronic Marauders—but he didn't doubt that her frown of disapproval was directed equally at both of them. Well, maybe a _little_ more at Potter since she still hadn't quite forgiven any of the idiots for that stunt they'd tried to pull over the hols, but in general….

"Yeah, but with _him_?" Potter repeated, waving a hand vaguely at Severus. "He's Sn—"

"Gentlemen, is there a problem here?" the apprentice librarian, Madam Pince asked, suddenly beside the table.

Severus had no idea where she'd come from—with Madam Emry you could hear her cane tapping up to you from three aisles away, but this new one moved far too quietly for his tastes—and he made himself release his wand slowly and turn to face her. "No, ma'am, no problem."

"We were just talking," Potter agreed, although his scowl made the statement even less convincing than his tone did.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, perhaps you should 'talk' elsewhere."

"Come on, Severus, let's go sit by the fire," Lily said, shoving her books into her pack haphazardly. "I'm getting a little cold over here anyway."

Potter looked like he wanted to object, but he couldn't with Madam Pince standing right there, so he turned back for the main door with a mutter of displeasure.

"I _know_," Severus said as they sank into the chairs by the fire, before Lily could say anything. His tone was probably harsher than it needed to be, but she'd said probably a thousand times that she didn't like it when he provoked them. But the fact that they kept provoking him was always ignored, and he knew that just ignoring them wouldn't help, so…well, he just didn't want to hear anything about it right now.

She shook her head and let it go. "What was your solution for number eleven?"

* * *

Severus frowned at the chessboard in front of him, nudged Aberdeen away from the knight she seemed to want to gnaw on before it could hit her with its sword, and then checked the last line of Alastor's latest message again. He'd expected Alastor to move up a pawn, not get his queen's rook involved at this stage of the game. Unless he was missing something. Maybe Alastor was getting ready to start his queen—

A knock at the door drew his attention away from the board. In the month and a half since the Christmas hols, the rest of his roommates seemed to have joined Rosier in ignoring him, which was fine with him—it wasn't that different than how they'd behaved before, and it was certainly better than other things they could do especially since he was fairly sure that Mulciber, at least, still kept in contact with Malfoy—but the three of them would be out on the Quidditch pitch now with the rest of the Slytherin team. No one would be looking for them here. Nor was anyone likely to be seeking him out...Lily had some sort of Charms study group planned for this evening so it certainly wouldn't be her. He tucked the letter from Alastor under the chessboard and put Aberdeen back down in her cage quickly. "Come in."

"Ah, Severus, I'd hoped you would be here."

"Professor Slughorn? Is something wrong?"


	40. AU: Come to Chat

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

* * *

The headmaster wanted to see him. Severus was fairly certain that he'd managed to keep his voice and expression calm when Professor Slughorn had passed him the message, but as soon as he'd heard the words something had twisted in his stomach, and the feeling wasn't going away as he climbed the stairs up from the dungeon towards the headmaster's study.

In all likelihood, the headmaster probably didn't have anything important to say to him. The Moronic Marauders had probably done something stupid that he was about to be blamed for. Nothing unusual there; just typical day at Hogwarts. Or maybe Dumbledore wanted to quiz Severus about his living situation again. It was none his business, of course, but it wasn't like the headmaster would ever let a little thing like that that stop him.

Of course, if there was any _fairness_ in the world, Dumbledore would be calling Severus to his study to tell him that he had come to his senses and had decided to let Severus and Lily resume their potions work together, but the odds of that happening were approximately as high as he and Black becoming best friends. Severus snorted quietly. Even if it was never going to happen, it would be brilliant. Well, the getting-to-work-on-potions-again part, not the Black-as-friend part, of course.

The knot in his stomach tightened slightly as he reached the top of the staircase. As hard as he was trying _not_ to think about it, the fact was that the last time he'd been summoned to see the headmaster completely unexpectedly had been last year when Dumbledore had told him that Mum was gone. And even though he probably—almost certainly—wasn't going to tell Severus anything like that now….

He shook his head sharply. He was being ridiculous. Potter or Black or one of the other idiots had tripped and stubbed his toe and was now blaming Severus for jinxing the stone floor or something equally absurd. Alastor was fine. He was an Auror—one of the _best_ Aurors—and he could handle himself against anything. And Gideon and Fabian and Caradoc were almost as good, and there was no reason that anyone would bother Molly or Arthur, so there was obviously no reason to be worried.

That stupid knot in his stomach wouldn't go away no matter how hard he worked to convince himself of that, though, and when the door to the headmaster's study swung open only a moment after his light knock, it didn't precisely make him feel any better. If he'd been kept waiting…well, then he'd know for sure that it wasn't anything important, wouldn't he?

"Ah, Mr. Snape, I'd hoped Horace would find you," Dumbledore said, turning towards him as he stepped inside cautiously.

"Hello, lad," Alastor greeted.

Severus felt the knot in his stomach release abruptly, and he moved towards Alastor. "Hello." Alastor was here, so obviously he was fine, and he'd smiled in greeting and didn't look at all upset which meant that Gideon and Fabian and everyone else were probably fine as well. Alastor gripped his neck lightly, and he relaxed a little further, even if he still had no idea what Alastor was doing at Hogwarts. He knew that students occasionally met with parents or grandparents or whomever for lunch in Hogsmeade on Hogsmeade weekends—usually from hearing their complaints since it meant that they didn't get to spend the time with their friends—but it was almost unheard of that parents came to the school. Well, there were a few that sometimes came to Quidditch matches, but even that wasn't very common. "I…why are…?" 'Why are you here?' was a rather rude way to ask the question, but he wasn't sure how else to phrase it.

"You'll remember Miss Eustace," he said before Severus could finish.

Severus tensed again as he realized that there was a third figure in the headmaster's study. He'd been pleased enough to see Alastor that he hadn't even noticed her. But Alastor wouldn't have come here if he was going to send Severus away, would he? Or at least he wouldn't be so calm about it…right? Severus tried to keep his breathing even as he gave her a vaguely polite greeting.

"It's so good to see you again," she said in return. "I know you're probably surprised to see me here, but do you mind if we sit down and talk for a few minutes?"

"Why? About what?" This time he didn't even attempt to keep the wariness out of his voice, and he shot a quick glance at Alastor. He'd _said_ that he would be Severus' guar—

"Oh, it's nothing bad," she said with a smile, interrupting his thoughts. "Just a standard review; you needn't look so worried."

"A review for what?" He wasn't about to let his guard down, not until he knew exactly why she was here.

"When an application for guardianship is made, there's the initial interview and approval process, which you and Auror Moody," she gestured towards Alastor, "have already gone through. Reviews are then typically made at three-month intervals for the first year and once every six months after that until the child comes of age or the arrangement is terminated. We waived the first of the three-month interviews for the two of you since you're a little older than our typical placements and you were in school for most of those months, but it's now been almost six months, and I did need to check in. I'd intended to do so over the holiday, but I…." She trailed off with a shake of her head. "Well, never mind, that's hardly relevant. I spoke to Auror Moody earlier today, but I knew you attended Hogwarts so I thought I'd floo by and see if I could get a few minutes of your time as well."

Severus really didn't want to talk to her, but since Alastor already apparently had, it didn't seem that he had much of a choice. He looked back at his guardian again, and Alastor gave him a slight nod.

"I figured I ought to come along given what happened last time, but there's no harm in you talking to her," Alastor said. "I'd have owled you, but since the odds were that we'd beat the owl here, there didn't seem to be much point."

"You're welcome to use my private office," Dumbledore said to Miss Eustace before Severus could respond, indicating a door behind him that Severus had never seen open before. "I'm sure Alastor and I can find some way to occupy our time. We really didn't have much chance to catch up at the New Years party with so many people to say hello to."

_That_ didn't exactly make Severus look any more favorably on the idea, but the door had swung open at Dumbledore's gesture, and Miss Eustace smiled at the headmaster. "That's excellent, Professor, thank you."

Severus still wanted to decline, but since she was already moving and he did want to get rid of her as quickly as possible—and hopefully ensure that Dumbledore didn't have time to tell Alastor anything particularly incriminating in their chat—…. He followed her into the room, shutting the door behind him as he heard Dumbledore inviting Alastor to sit down.

A house elf popped in as Miss Eustace took a seat at a small table in the corner, and Severus sank gingerly into the chair across from her and declined tea. "What do you need to know?"

"Well, as I said, this a follow-up interview, so I just want to know how you and Auror Moody are getting along. Are the living arrangements still working out?"

"They are. And we're getting along fine." And if that was all, he'd just be going now.

"I understand that you went back to Auror Moody's house for the holidays?"

"Yes."

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yes." For someone who should have some experience interviewing people, she wasn't very good at asking open-ended questions.

"He said that there was a little bit of trouble when you went over to his brothers' house."

Or maybe she'd just been trying to lull him into a false sense of security. But that hadn't been a question at all, so Severus didn't answer, reaching out to fiddle with a teacup that had popped into existence at the same time hers had, despite the fact that he'd told the house elf that he didn't want any tea.

"Could you tell me a little bit about that?" she prompted after a moment. If she knew he was being deliberately obtuse, she didn't let it show.

"Matthew—Alastor's nephew—broke an old vase and then lied about it. And then I lied too."

Her lips thinned. "Auror Moody doesn't deny that he hasn't changed his method of discipline for that particular offense. I've given him several parenting books, but…." She shook her head.

There hadn't actually been a question there either, but this time he shrugged and answered anyway. "No. But I know the rules. I knew what would happen." He still didn't think he'd had much of a _choice_, but he had known the consequences.

"You don't feel that he was overly severe? And you weren't left with any bruises or marks?"

"No. To both questions. He said afterwards that he'd have let me off a little easier if I'd told him why, but I didn't until it was done, so…."

"And why didn't you tell him? Were you afraid?"

"No."

"Have you ever been afraid of him?"

Severus frowned and then shrugged. "I guess back when I first went to live with him I was a little nervous, but not really." Well, he had been a little frightened when Alastor had dragged him back to the house when he'd run away, but that had been before Alastor had even offered to be his guardian, so it didn't really count. And he'd apologized for shouting at Severus when Severus had told him about hearing Mum in the veil.

She 'hmm'd' and still didn't look particularly pleased as she produced a piece of paper from inside her cloak and made a short note on it, but she did move on to another subject. "And how did the rest of your holiday go?"

"Well. We went to Molly and Arthur's for New Years." If he had to talk about something, Severus would rather talk about the party there than Christmas Eve at Alexander Moody's house.

"That would be," she consulted the piece of paper, "his partner's sister and her husband, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you had a good time?"

"Yes." Back to simple questions again. Maybe there was a checklist somewhere.

"Did you get any nice gifts for Christmas?" She paused and then switched to a—slightly—more open-ended question. What did Auror Moody get you?"

"A couple of games and a potions kit. And then he took me to Diagon Alley and let me pick out the ingredients that I wanted a couple days later."

"That was nice of him." She glanced down at her parchment again. "You said the two of you played chess before…does he play these new games with you as well?"

No, Alastor had just given him them to look at. "Yes."

* * *

Alastor and the headmaster were sitting by the headmaster's desk chuckling about something and holding glasses of something that looked a bit stronger than tea when Severus and Miss Eustace finally emerged. They'd discussed the rest of his holiday—including visiting Brian but minus his and Alastor's trip to his mother's grave since he wasn't sure if he was supposed to tell anyone about that—and a little about school and his birthday and other random subjects before she'd declared the interview finished, and he was just as glad to have it done.

"I'm finished here, but I'll be owling you in three months," Miss Eustace said to Alastor. "I'm not sure there will be a need to do another interview at that point since Severus will still be in school, but I should at least mark the date."

Alastor nodded.

"It was good to see you again, and you also Severus. Headmaster."

All three of them bade her goodbye, and then Alastor gestured for Severus to come join he and the headmaster as she stepped into the floo.

"So you survived, lad?" He flicked his wand and a chair appeared for Severus.

As little as he wanted to spend time around the headmaster, he wanted to see Alastor more, and Severus accepted the seat and the glass of pumpkin juice that appeared in front of him. Talking that much—even if he had tried to stick to one word answers when he could—had made him thirsty, and he hadn't really felt like drinking the tea.

"I need to go speak to Minerva and get a few other things done tonight," Dumbledore said, standing, "but you two are welcome to use my study for a bit longer if you want. Alastor, if you'd lock the door before you leave?"

"Of course."

"Mr. Snape, don't forget to be back in your rooms by curfew."

"I will." Or at least if he wasn't, he wouldn't be stupid enough to get caught. He waited until the headmaster left and then turned back to Alastor. "Do we really have to meet with her again?"

"Afraid so." He reached out and squeezed Severus' neck lightly. "It's not the end of the world, lad, and from what I saw it'd be a whole lot more of a hassle to get someone else assigned to your case. All we have to do is have a quick chat with her apiece and then it's done. And while I can't be there when the two of you are talking, I can certainly be around."

Thus preventing any more unexpected trips anywhere, Severus had no trouble finishing.

"Albus says you and that lass you're such friends with have been up to a bit of mischief with your fireworks," Alastor said as Severus took a sip of his pumpkin juice. "As much as I'm sure Gideon and Fabian will be delighted to hear that—assuming you haven't already told them—I can't say I'm so happy about it."

"It's not against the rules to _make_ fireworks in the school. Only to bring them in." He shot a quick scowl at the door that the headmaster had shut behind him. "I checked."

"Aye, and I think we'll call that a bit of word play, as I'm sure you well know." Alastor tapped the bridge of his nose lightly. "Did you at least take proper precautions when you were setting them off?"

If by 'proper precautions' he meant stepping back and using his wand to light the things, absolutely. If he meant raising double shields like he had done when he had Severus had tested the first set of fireworks in that deserted field…not so much. "Mostly."

"Meaning?"

"We stayed back out of the way."

Alastor tilted his chin back up, and Severus was relieved to see at least a little amusement in his expression, even if his tone was stern. "Fireworks explode, Severus. I'd best not hear about you trying such a thing again without proper shielding, is that understood?"

"Understood," Severus agreed. Although he wasn't likely to be doing anything else with fireworks until he was back at home anyway, so it was probably a moot point.

"Suppose Albus has already dealt with you about the rest of it, so there's no sense in me saying anything."

Severus was just as glad about that, although his words squashed a half-formed idea about complaining about—or at least mentioning offhand and hoping that Alastor saw how unfair it was—their punishment for the incident. Not the detention part, he suspected that Alastor would support that without a second thought, but the being kept from working privately on potions _forever_ part. But then again, Alastor hadn't been very happy to learn that he and Lily were working unsupervised anyway, so….

"Other than that, school has been going well?" Alastor asked, interrupting his musing. "Albus seems to think that you and those boys haven't had so much to do with each other this year as in the past."

More like the Moronic Marauders were still keeping their heads down after the Christmas fiasco—for the most part, anyway—rather than openly going after Severus and thus forcing him to retaliate, but he shrugged and nodded anyway. "I guess. All of the professors are piling on the work to get us ready for OWLs, so it's not like there's a lot of free time for any of us."

"Is there work that you should be doing now? Suppose we shouldn't be up here chatting if you've revising to do."

"No, there's nothing that needs to be done tonight." Technically he did have an essay due in Transfiguration tomorrow, but he had History of Magic right after breakfast, so he could finish it then. It wasn't as though Professor McGonagall expected much out of him in Transfiguration anyway. "Do you want to finish our chess game? I just got your last owl." He shrugged awkwardly. "I mean, if you don't need to go home."

"Aye, I suppose we could do that. I'm in no hurry. And you can tell me about whatever it was that Gideon and Fabian sent you for your birthday. They keep hinting about it, but neither of them will tell me outright." He shook his head. "Starting to worry me a little."

* * *

Severus checked the consistency of the setting goo and wished that he still had free access to the cold closet beside the Potions classroom. He cast a good freezing spell and he knew it, but there was a world of difference between a spell that faded over time and the constant temperature that a cold closet could maintain. But it still looked okay, and the color—or lack thereof—was good, so as long as he could sneak in here and reinforce the spell once a day—

A chime went off beside his ear, and he cursed quietly. He would much rather finish his latest experiment than go to the Quidditch match, especially since it was Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff today, but people tended to notice when students missed school matches so he didn't have much of a choice. He wouldn't have minded so much if there was even a chance of Hufflepuff trouncing those idiots, but he'd seen their seeker in action before Christmas, and if there was anyone _less_ suited to his position, Severus would hate to see him.

Still, he needed to get moving if he wanted a seat, and he pushed himself to his feet and put his supplies away quickly, checking the freezing spell one last time before slipping out of the room. It was one of perhaps a dozen rooms down this corridor, the entire stretch obviously abandoned due to flooding issues as evidenced by the stains on the stone walls, but at the moment it was bone dry, and it served his purposes well. A glance backwards as he turned down a slightly more heavily trafficked corridor showed that 'his' room looked no different than any of the other abandoned rooms—ones which, unlike the one he was using, had functioning locks—and he nodded slightly. Good. No reason for anyone to discover his work. It had taken him almost two weeks to find a suitable place to work, and he wasn't in any hurry to lose it to some idiot looking for a good spot to take his girlfriend.

He made his way up out of the dungeons without any real haste and then headed across the grounds towards the pitch, doing his best to avoid the overly-excited knots of students also headed in that direction. Some of whom apparently thought that the upcoming match was going to be the greatest thing since the levitating spell. He didn't mind Quidditch, but he would never understand some people's absolute obsession with it.

"Snape, over here," a voice called loudly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Mulciber?"

"You remember Malfoy, right?"


	41. AU:  Suspicions

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

_I had a few questions about Dumbledore's treatment of Severus. I do have him being harder on Severus than the Marauders since (at least in my opinion) he has pretty clear biases even in canon, but since the story is told entirely from one point of view, that unfairness is also being magnified by Severus' feelings. _

_As far as Lily and Severus' relationship…I don't see it so much as her being uncaring as her seeing Severus as just a friend. She cares about him, but he's one of many friends that she has, and he's not necessarily her closest friend either. For Severus, Lily is really his _only_ friend at school (and his crush) so he's a little more attached._

* * *

Malfoy. Brilliant. Severus spared a moment to hope that Mulciber might be talking about his long-lost cousin Malfoy Smith or something like that, but no, when he looked past Mulciber's shoulder, the sneering blond standing just behind him was entirely too familiar. And the sneer was actually the most pleasant part of his expression.

Severus squared his shoulders and nodded slightly to both of them in acknowledgement. He was being ridiculous. Even if Malfoy did want to do something to him—and it was possible that he did—the three of them were in the middle of a reasonably-sized crowd where a disturbance would draw immediate attention. Of course, the crowd probably wouldn't notice anything _less_ than a real disturbance since their focus was on the Quidditch pitch just down the path, but it was unlikely that anyone intending malice would try anything here. And the anti-Apparition wards would prevent any possibility of being grabbed and taken elsewhere before Severus could raise an alarm.

Unfortunately, Severus' practical nature found an immediate problem with that theory: the anti-Apparition wards would prevent Apparition. They wouldn't do a single thing if Malfoy had a portkey, and Severus wasn't foolish enough to think pesky little things like laws regulating portkey creation and use applied to the Malfoy family.

Of course, there was nothing at all to indicate that either Mulciber or Malfoy _had_ such a thing, and Severus was probably not only being ridiculous but ridiculously paranoid, but…. He checked casually that his wand was safely in its holster and debated how likely it was that he could draw it without their notice. Fabian and Gideon and Alastor had all seemed to think that his wariness in Diagon Alley before school had restarted had been warranted, and he didn't think that any of them would like this situation either.

Obviously the safest thing to do would be to stay out of arms' reach and leave wands out of it entirely, but in a crowd like this, moving closer together to speak was the reasonable thing to do. And as it was strikingly unlikely that anyone else was going to request his presence and save him from the situation since Lily was probably already at the pitch with her cadre of Gryffindor girlfriends, he—

"Ah, Mr. Snape, there you are," a voice called. "Could I have a moment of your time?"

Or maybe there was. But…wait, the headmaster? Severus glanced quickly back over his shoulder and confirmed that that really was who had spoken to him. That was just brilliant. Because his day hadn't been going downhill quite quickly enough.

For a moment, Severus debated which person he wanted to talk to least and what his odds might be if he made a fast break for the Forbidden Forest in the hopes of avoiding all of them, but unfortunately, he'd never been the best runner in the world. And since Dumbledore was the less likely of the two options to cause him actual physical harm…. He gestured behind him towards the headmaster and made sure that his eye roll and rueful expression were exaggerated enough for Malfoy and Mulciber to see.

Mulciber, at least, seemed to accept the excuse, although whether it was genuine acceptance or just him putting on a good face for the headmaster there was no way to say. Malfoy managed to look even less pleased than he had been, but then, Severus didn't particularly care about his opinion of anything. Although he certainly wasn't going to fully turn his back on the two of them as he moved towards the headmaster.

"Would you mind walking with me for a few minutes?" Dumbledore asked as Severus came alongside him. "After all, we do seem to be going in the same direction."

Dumbledore seemed to find that comment amusing…Severus didn't, but it wasn't as though he could refuse. At least not without sending himself into Malfoy's clutches, and, again, as Dumbledore was less likely to attempt injury, he was the better option. Severus nodded and managed a reasonably polite, "Of course."

Dumbledore gestured down the path and resumed walking, and Severus fell into step beside him. "I apologize if I interrupted your conversation. Your friend—that was Mr. Mulciber, wasn't it?—will save you a seat, won't he?"

"I was not planning to sit with him." Nor was Mulciber Severus' friend, not that that was any of the headmaster's business. "Did you wish to speak to me about something in particular?"

"I just wanted to chat for a few minutes. Alastor mentioned when he was here that he was a bit concerned about you. I hadn't had time to ask to you about it before this, but he didn't think that the owled messages he'd received from you seemed very…happy."

Gee, I can't imagine why. But as much as he wanted to say that out loud, Severus kept the thought firmly to himself. It was bad enough that he obviously hadn't managed to conceal his dislike of school in his letters; he wasn't about to directly confirm that fact to someone who could—and probably would—repeat it back to Alastor. Aside from the fact that there was nothing that Alastor could do, he still didn't see Dumbledore talking to Alastor about _anything_ to do with Severus' time at school leading to anything good.

"Is anything wrong?" Dumbledore prompted.

Severus shrugged. "I have OWLs this year. There's a lot of work to do to prepare, and I want to do well."

Dumbledore's expression could best be described as 'politely disbelieving,' and Severus couldn't really blame him. The classes that he cared most about—Potions, Arithmancy, Defense, and to a lesser extent Herbology and Charms—were going well, and he wasn't any more concerned about the upcoming exams than any good student would be. Of the other courses…well, Ancient Runes without Lily, and History of Magic in general were pretty tedious but he was fairly sure that he could manage at least an Acceptable in each which would get him the OWLs, and the same was true of Astronomy. It wasn't as though he planned to pursue any of those in the future anyway. And he already knew that Transfiguration was a lost cause so there was no point in worrying about that.

"Given that I haven't been able to pursue any of my independent Potions research lately, things have been rather dull," he added after a moment. It was a reasonable excuse for him to be unhappy—it certainly didn't make him like school any _more_—and since it was entirely the headmaster's fault, he might as well bring it up. Maybe the man would finally see sense.

Dumbledore only gave a noncommittal 'hmm' though, and made an absent waving motion with his hand. He appeared to be either dismissing Severus' comment offhand or swatting away an insect, but Severus tensed as the chatter of the crowd around him suddenly became muted and indistinct. Granted that they were walking at a slightly slower pace than the rest of those headed for the Quidditch pitch so most of the crowd had moved ahead of them, but that kind of sudden change spoke of a sound barrier spell. Severus hadn't heard an incantation, but then, as annoying as Dumbledore could be, even Severus acknowledged that he was one of the most powerful wizards there was. He didn't necessarily need verbal incantations. But why would the headmaster put up something like that?

"And no one's given you any difficulty?" Dumbledore asked, before Severus found an appropriate—or even an inappropriate—way to ask what in Merlin's name was going on.

"You mean aside from the Moronic Ma—"

"Aside from that ridiculous feud that the five of you insist upon perpetuating," he confirmed, before Severus could even finish his question. "I understand that there was an incident over the Christmas holiday?"

Severus looked up, startled, at that. He knew Alastor had been worried, and he had mentioned saying something about it to Dumbledore, but Severus had never been sure whether he had or not. And he certainly hadn't expected Dumbledore to say anything about it now given the amount of time that had passed.

"I'm afraid that a few of your housemates—primarily among the older students, although I suspect that a few of those in your year have been approached as well—have somewhat…unsavory…contacts outside the school," Dumbledore continued.

"I leave them alone, and they leave me alone," Severus said with a shrug. Rosier was the only one who was openly obnoxious to him, and that had nothing to do with any 'outside contacts.' "I don't think Malfoy wanted to talk to me to be pleasant, but…."

"Which Malfoy?" Dumbledore demanded, voice sharpening. "When?"

"Lucius. And just a few moments ago. He was with Mulciber." Severus shrugged and made a vague gesture towards the Quidditch stands now looming over them. Presumably both Malfoy and Mulciber were up there somewhere, amongst the crowd, but he had no idea where. "Why?" The question was out of his mouth before it occurred to him that it was really none of his business, but Dumbledore answered anyway.

"Visitors from outside the school are supposed to sign in when they arrive, even for Quidditch games, and I don't recall seeing his name on the registry. Did he say anything in particular to you?"

"I'd just greeted them when you called me over."

"Hm."

They entered the Quidditch pitch, and Severus was more than a little relieved that he was almost free of Dumbledore's company. Of course, he'd still have to put up with a shrieking crowd for the next few hours, but that had to be better than spending time with the headmaster. Unfortunately, rather than seeking out any of the other professors, Dumbledore merely started up the nearest staircase and indicated for Severus to follow him.

"I'm always surprised by how crowded it gets; we'd best grab the first seats we can find."

That was an absolutely ridiculous statement since Dumbledore could order pretty much anyone out of whatever seats he wanted, but he didn't seem aware of that fact as he selected a bench with two seats immediately off the aisle with the clear intention that Severus would join him.

"Tell me, Mr. Snape, which house's team do you favor? I'm afraid Miss Sharpe has been having a little trouble lately. I can't help but think that she might be more suited to keeper than seeker. But the Gryffindor team has been looking quite good at practice."

"I…." Severus kept his head shake to himself. This was going to be a _long_ match if he was going to have to spend it sitting beside the headmaster.

* * *

A three-quarter circle with a triangle and a…squiggle…in the lower quadrant. Severus leaned back in his chair, rocking it back on two legs, ad drummed his fingers on the tabletop. Both librarians were off cataloging something so at least they weren't there to glare at him for his behavior.

He hadn't been worried about the Ancient Runes OWL before, but then the professor had thrown a whole separate _category_ of symbols at them yesterday. Since the class was doing 'so well.' And because the things were going to be on the OWLs, even though she hadn't bothered to mention the fact that they even _existed_ before this. And there was now yet another set of equations in Arithmancy to learn to use—at least one more—and they'd been reviewing mosses in Herbology Monday and he'd forgotten a great more than he'd expected, and who gave a rat's arse which goblin army Muffin the Magnificent or whatever her name had been had defeated in 1009 _anyway_, and—

"Hello, Severus, sorry I'm late," Lily said, interrupting his—admittedly somewhat depressing—thoughts. "I was trying to read the crystal ball with Anna again and lost track of time."

He waved off her apology and let his chair fall forward so all four legs were on the floor again. "It's fine. Did you make any progress?"

"Apparently there's mist in my future." Lily dropped her bag down to the ground and took the seat across from him. "Anybody who thinks they can see what's going to happen is a nutter. And we're going to be tested on it!"

Severus wasn't about to argue the point. That was why he wasn't in Divination anymore.

"What are you working on?" she asked.

"Trying to memorize yet another symbol table, but I think I'm going to go cross-eyed if I stare at it much longer. Have you started on the Arithmancy assignment?"

"Not yet. I was going to earlier, but then I started on my Transfiguration essay instead, and…." She waved a hand.

"Yeah, I was working on Charms. You know how Professor Flitwick gets if we don't practice." He put away his Ancient Runes reference notes and pulled out his Arithmancy book, flipping to the appropriate page. Arithmancy class was tomorrow, and by his estimate, they were about due for another 'surprise' quiz. They'd been coming about ever other week lately, apparently preparation for the upcoming exams.

"Are you really going to go home at Easter?" she asked as she pulled her own book out.

"Yes. I think I'll get more revising done there." He had been looking forward to the Easter hols just to be away from school and back at home with Alastor, but now he was afraid that he was going to have to spend the entire time with his nose in his books. "You're planning to stay here, then?"

"I am. I told Mum and Dad at Christmas not to expect me…they were a little disappointed, but they understood. After all, it's easier to ask the professors questions if I'm here. And I could do without hearing any more about Vernon Dursley—Petunia actually deigned to owl me to let me know how well he'd done in some stupid boxing tournament—too. The first owl I get from her pretty much _ever_, and that's what it's about."

Severus shook his head.

She pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. "You know, I really thought that Professor Dumbledore would have lifted our ban on working on potions by now. It's not that I'm really _worried_ about the Potions OWL, but…." She shook her head. "I tried talking to Professor Slughorn again, but it didn't do any good."

Severus still hadn't told her about his laboratory…he'd thought about it more than once, but it was a little too much rule-bending for her tastes, and he knew it.

"I saw you talking to Professor Dumbledore the other day. I don't suppose he said anything about it?"

"No. I don't know what's going on with him." For some reason the headmaster had just 'happened' upon Severus a few times since the Quidditch match…Severus suspected that Dumbledore's friendship with Alastor had a great deal to do with it, but he really wished that the man would just _stop_. And not just because it was making him nervous. Dumbledore had caught him coming back down the deserted corridor where his makeshift potions laboratory was set up, and only some fast talking had convinced the man that Severus had just accidentally made a wrong turn because his nose had been stuck in a book. Another good reason not to tell Lily; two of them coming and going doubled the chances of getting caught.

"Well, he hasn't given you detention in awhile. That's a good thing."

"That's just because those idiots are still trying to get back on McGonagall's good side so they're being less obnoxious than usual." Them being less obnoxious meant that he had less need to retaliate. "Hey, is something wrong with Lupin?" he asked before she came up with a reprimand for his comment.

"What?"

"Well, he was in Ancient Runes this morning looking like he hasn't slept in days. And when I thought about it, I realized that it's not the first time that's happened, either. It's weird." Normally Severus' attention was focused primarily on Black and Potter, and he only paid attention to the other two Marauders as ancillary trouble…if one of _them_ pulled something like that, Severus would just assume that he'd been up late setting up some stupid plot. Well, that or possibly smuggling in alcohol from Hogsmeade visits and binge drinking. But with the two of them confining their stupidity to a few hexes in the halls between classes, he'd definitely noticed something off about the third Marauder.

She shook her head. "I haven't heard anything, but he's always pretty quiet. Maybe he's just been doing late-night revising with Black. You know how Potions class usually goes."

He did. Explosions galore. Even with things that shouldn't explode.

"Professor Slughorn told him the other day that if he didn't show at least some improvement, he wouldn't even be allowed to _sit_ for that OWL.

Even if he sat for the OWL, Black would never get it, but Severus settled for a shrug rather than pointing out that fact. "Maybe that's it."


	42. AU: Waiting Game

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

* * *

Something strange _was_ going on with Lupin, and Severus was going to find out what it was. Well, if Lily would stop worrying about her exams long enough to let him do some nighttime snooping, anyway. Not that he wasn't quite happy about meeting her in the library almost every night for revising, but she usually stayed right up until the last call before curfew and if the pattern held—at least he thought it was a pattern, although three specific occurrences was stretching things a little—he only had a day or two more to figure out what was going on. After that, Lupin would go back to being his usual dull, healthy self for several more weeks.

"—id you hear me?" Lily asked.

"Yes. And I don't know what else might be on the History of Magic exam; you know that all Binns ever talks about are the Goblin Wars." Not that Severus ever paid enough attention to score an Outstanding even on just that subject, but then, it fell into squarely the class of exams that he cared very little about past passing. "You might try asking a couple of the sixth and seventh years, though. I mean, they won't be able to tell you the exact questions since it was a year or two ago and there were anti-cheating charms attached—" he wasn't actually sure which of those things were more likely to prevent them from relating exactly what they'd been tested on—"but they might be able to give you a general idea."

"Oh, that's a good idea."

He shook his head and closed his Transfiguration text. "I think I'm going to head back to my rooms."

"Are you feeling okay? It's awfully early."

"I'm all right. Just a headache, probably from staring at all the tiny print in that stupid Ancient Runes reference last night. And Transfiguration isn't helping."

She shook his head at that comment, although she seemed to accept his excuse easily enough. "I told you that you should have used a stronger illumination charm given the way you were starting to squint at the end."

He nodded and started repacking his books quickly. If he hurried, he could stop by his makeshift lab for a few minutes and check the progress of the invisibility cream and still make it into a good hiding spot near the Gryffindor entrance by the time curfew began. He couldn't do it after curfew was called—there was just too great a chance of getting caught—but once he was there he could hide for a few hours, see if the Moronic Marauders were sneaking off anywhere, and then sneak back to Slytherin after all of the professors were asleep.

He passed a few other students roaming the halls as he made his way down into the dungeons, but none of them paid him any attention, and he was able to slip off down the abandoned corridor without issue. A flick of his wand activated the light he'd stolen, and he frowned as he knelt down to check the vials. It looked like the invisibility cream was setting correctly, at least, but the color was definitely off. He'd hoped that the late addition of dried verbane flowers would have been enough to amplify the unexpectedly weak feverfew, but it didn't look like it had worked. Well, he'd have to wait and test the cream to know for sure, but at the moment, it didn't look promising.

He left the vials and turned to check his limited stash of supplies. He was going to have to raid the storeroom again soon…he'd been trying to take from the backs of shelves since that was more likely to go unnoticed, but that was what had led to the feverfew mess. Judging by the potency—or lack thereof—it should have been discarded years ago, but by the time Severus had realized that it he'd already added it.

Maybe if he took only sealed jars and refilled the empty spots from the back…it would limit his selection of ingredients, but then Slughorn would be the one who would have to deal with ingredients past their prime. And unlike Severus he had much more opportunity to dump them and buy new ones. Alastor had been sending him a bit of pocket money along with each letter, but Severus didn't want to get caught buying ingredients for himself when he wasn't supposed to be doing any independent brewing.

With one last look at the invisibility cream, Severus shut off the light with a flick of his wand and slipped back out of the makeshift lab, planning to drop his bag off in his room before heading up to Gryffindor. Unfortuantely, he'd only made it three steps down the main corridor towards the Common Room when an unwelcome voice rang out.

"Ah, there you are, Mr. Snape, just the person I was looking for."

Dumbledore. Joy. Another reason, besides Lily's mad revising schedule, that he hadn't had any luck in figuring out what was going on with Lupin. The man had an incredibly annoying habit of popping up out of nowhere with half a dozen asinine questions _just_ when Severus wanted to be elsewhere. Well, he _always_ wanted to be elsewhere where the headmaster was concerned, but….

* * *

Finally, finally, _finally_ he was out of this place. Granted that it was only for the holiday, and that he was dragging home almost every book he owned, but still, it was better than being stuck here any longer. He hadn't solved the mystery of Lupin, yet—he'd staked out Gryffindor the night after the headmaster had waylaid him and held him up too long to sneak out, but nothing unusual had happened aside from some idiot third year slipping down to the kitchens for a snack—but he could try again after the holiday.

He hauled his trunk up the train steps with more haste than grace, ignoring the thumps as it banged against the walls and risers. Aberdeen was safe in the pack on his back since he hadn't wanted to risk putting her in the trunk for fear that the books would slide around and damage her cage so he didn't really care if the contents were shaken up.

There were enough students remaining at school over Easter that he was able to quickly claim a compartment for himself, first and second years being ridiculously easy to scare off, and he stretched his legs out and dug out his newest book and a quill. It was a book of word puzzles, Muggle-created and sent by Alastor to 'keep him busy' on the train. They were apparently from the same place that Alastor had found his bored games, and Severus hoped that Alastor would agree to take him there while he was home. For a moment, Severus debated spending the journey reviewing his Herbology notes or maybe going through some of the Astronomy charts again or doing something vaguely scholastic, but right now, he just wanted a break. He'd be doing plenty of revising this week as it was.

The book did keep him neatly occupied during the trip, although very few of the crossword questions made any sense to him. For example, why, exactly, were the Stones Rolling? And why was whoever wrote it completely incapable of spelling the word Beetles correctly? B-E-E-T-L-E-S, not B-E-A-L-T-E-S, even the slowest first year knew _that_. But the ones called logic puzzles and word finds were fun.

When the train arrived at the station, he stuffed his book back into his trunk and pushed his way into the line of students filing off. He'd bought a chocolate frog when the sweet cart woman had last come through, but he was starting to get hungry for real food now. Maybe Alastor wouldn't mind stopping somewhere to get a bite to eat before they went home. Fish and chips sounded _really_ good right now, and he knew there was a shop not far from the station.

The press of bodies closed around him as he stepped off the train, but it wasn't as crowded as it had been at Christmas, and Severus craned his neck to look for his guardian. Alastor was tall enough that he should be visible over most of the—

"Ah, Severus, there you are. It's so good to see you."

He turned quickly at the voice from behind him. "Molly?" It was her, Charlie hanging on to one hand and Bill the other, and Severus frowned. "What are you doing here?" Which might not have been the most polite thing to say, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

"Alastor and Gideon had to wrap up a few loose ends from their latest case, and it's taking longer than they expected. Alastor floo'd an hour or two ago and asked if I'd pick you up and take you to our place for dinner, and then he'll collect you on his way home tonight." She shook her head. "As though I'd just leave you standing on the platform. Men, honestly." She gestured at his trunk. "Is that everything you brought? You're sure that you didn't forget anything on the train?"

"No, I've got everything. My trunk and my pack." He gestured at the bag slung over his shoulder.

"Excellent." She released Bill's hand for a moment and fished her wand out of the pocket of her dress, levitating the trunk neatly. "Come along, then. It's a long train ride as I recall so you must be getting hungry."

Well, he had been, but suddenly he wasn't anymore. Although as he'd learned last summer, telling Molly Weasley that you weren't hungry was absolutely pointless, so he just nodded and pulled his now-floating trunk along after her.

"Um, how have you been?" Severus asked as they joined the queue in front of the public floo terminals. It would be a few minutes before they were able to get through, and he did understand the concept of making polite conversation. Even if he didn't really feel like do so.

"Very well, thank you," she said with a smile. "Arthur and I have started talking about names for our newest family member." She patted her stomach lightly. "We're torn between Percival and Ignatius at the moment. Arthur prefers Percival, but my uncle Ignatius passed away not long ago, and I'd like to keep the name in the family. Of course, I was rather hoping that it would be a girl this time—I've always liked the name Ginerva—but…." She shrugged.

"Ew, a girl," Bill muttered, kicking at the floor.

"Now, that will be enough of that," Molly scolded. "Your mother was a girl once, after all. And don't do that, you'll scuff your shoes."

Bill muttered something else, but Molly either didn't hear him or just didn't pay any attention as she turned her gaze back to Severus. "Are your classes going well? You have OWLs coming up shortly, don't you? I think Arthur mentioned that they wanted to steal a few people from his department to help with the Muggle Studies testing this year."

"The exams aren't too long after we get back after the holiday," Severus agreed with a nod. "That's why my trunk is so heavy; I brought almost all of my books home with me."

Molly nodded. "That was a very good idea; I know it's a holiday, but you mustn't forget your studies." They reached the front of the queue, and she gestured forward. "Now, do you remember how to use the floo?"

"Yes, Molly." Because he was sixteen years old.

"Just make sure that your hand is on your trunk when you announce your destination, and it will be sent right along with you," she said.

"Yes, Molly," he repeated. He was also not a complete dolt, but there was no point in telling her that.

A floo opened, and she lifted Charlie onto her hip and tugged Bill's hand to bring him forward with her.

"I want to say where we're going," Bill announced as Molly dropped his hand and reached for the floo powder.

"All right, but remember to say 'The Burrow' very clearly." She transferred the floo powder to his smaller hand and then stepped in with him, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Severus, you follow right after us. And you remember to speak clearly as well."

"Yes, Molly." Severus thought he might actually pity Bill Weasley—and Charlie, and Percival-or-Ignatius, and any other Weasley child that might come along—if Molly continued to act like this after they passed early childhood. And given the way she acted with him, she probably would.

Somehow, despite the fact that she wasn't there to hold his hand, he managed to arrive at the Burrow undamaged and with all his possessions intact, and his stomach grumbled as he stepped out of the fireplace and the aroma from the kitchen reached him. Maybe he _was_ a little hungry. And it wasn't like he didn't know that it was stupid for him to be upset that Alastor hadn't been there to meet him at the station. He did have a job, after all, and it wasn't his fault if an interview ran long. Especially since he'd floo'd Molly rather than just leaving Severus standing on the platform.

"Now, Severus, why don't you put your trunk and your bag over there for now?" Molly said, drawing his attention back to her as she gestured at the far wall. "The roast should be done in ten or fifteen minutes, and Arthur has a late meeting tonight and said that we shouldn't hold dinner for him. Bill would you set the table please?"

Severus did as she asked, although he ended up putting the bag containing Aberdeen's cage on one of the high bookshelves since he didn't particularly want to submit his pet to the attentions of the Weasley children.

Dinner was good, he had to admit. He was a good cook, but Molly was worlds ahead of him. Of course, Severus wasn't sure that a full-sized roast would even _fit_ in Alastor's oven either, but….

Arthur arrived home as Severus was helping Molly to wrap the leftovers, and he greeted her and Bill and Charlie with kisses. "That smells wonderful. You did save some for me, didn't you?"

"Of course." Molly waved towards the table. "Your plate's right there. But you'd best eat it before it gets cold."

"You are the most amazing woman in the world," he assured her, before turning to Severus and offering a hand in greeting. "And welcome back. You must be on Easter holiday. You picked a good day to visit for supper; Molly makes a better roast than any chef I've ever seen."

Severus nodded in agreement.

"Is Alastor around here somewhere too?"

"It's just Severus tonight," Molly said before Severus could answer. "He's visiting until Alastor can pick him up. I'm sure you heard about the attacks up in…."

Her voice trailed off as she waved her hand vaguely, he gaze going to Severus, and Severus' eyes narrowed as he caught Arthur's expression. When Molly had said that Alastor and Gideon were just tying up loose ends, he'd assumed that they'd had a witness interview that was running long—that happened sometimes—or were helping to obliviate some Muggle bystanders or something like that. But a specific mention of attacks, especially in that tone of voice and coupled with Arthur's worried frown sounded a whole lot more ominous than that.

"What attacks?" he found himself asking.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about," she said quickly.

"Just Auror business," Arthur agreed.

Which was absolutely no answer at all but it was pretty obvious that neither planned to elaborate.

"I'm sure you have some revising to do," Molly said, before he could come up with a good argument. "I'll finish cleaning up in here, why don't you go ahead and get started?"

Right, because he was going to be able to concentrate on _anything_ after that. He managed a 'yes, 'ma'am' anyway, mostly because it was better than her insisting that he play Exploding Snap or something like that to distract him, and after sneaking Aberdeen a few bits of carrot he pulled out his Herbology text and began paging through it.

If it had been hard to concentrate immediately after hearing that what Alastor was doing wasn't quite so routine as she'd first indicated, it became nearly impossible as the night wore on with no sign of Alastor. Towards the end, after Charlie and Bill had both been sent off to bed, he was just randomly paging back and forth and and making no attempt to read the words in front of him.

"I'll make up the bed in the spare room for you Severus," Molly finally said, setting her knitting aside and getting to her feet. "I'm sure you're getting tired."

"Where's Alastor?" It was a stupid question to ask, and he knew it, since obviously if Alastor had contacted either of the Weasleys this evening he would know about it, but he couldn't help asking. "Who attacked what?" That, at least, they should be able to answer, given how they'd spoken earlier, but whether they _would_….

"Nothing you need to worry about," Molly repeated, squashing that hope. "I'm sure they've just lost track of time."

Right, because the fact that it was hours past nightfall was so hard to miss. He pushed himself to his feet and shoved his book back into his trunk with considerably more force than necessary.


	43. AU:  Frustration

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Yes, I know, it's been a long time, but real life is being annoying again._

* * *

Severus crossed his arms across his chest and scowled up at the ceiling. He didn't care what Molly said; he _wasn't_ going to sleep. He _couldn't_ go to sleep, not knowing that something bad had happened somewhere, Alastor was involved, and he had no idea what was really going on.

It wasn't like he had anyone that he could ask, either. Or no one useful, anyway, since Molly and Arthur obviously weren't going to tell him anything, Gideon was Alastor's partner and would therefore be with Alastor, Fabian must be up there too or Alastor would have just asked him to pick Severus up, and Caradoc should be with Fabian. And there weren't that many other people that he knew that were more than the most casual acquaintances. The only person that he could think of at all was Marlene, but it wasn't like he really even knew her except as Alastor's friend, and one didn't just go flooing one's guardian's friends in the middle of the night to ask random questions. Besides, there was no good reason to think that she had any idea what was going on either. She might work at the Ministry, but she wasn't an Auror herself or anything like that.

He sighed and scowled at the door. It was stupid. Why wouldn't Molly and Arthur say _something_ about what was going on? Something a little more meaningful than 'don't worry,' preferably, since they obviously did know more than that and just didn't feel like sharing. He wasn't a child, and without any information, he was just stuck imaging things. And nothing he imagined that would keep an Auror so tied up was any good.

He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. It might be stupid, especially for someone his age, but he wanted Alastor. And he wanted to go home. That had been the whole point of coming home from school over Easter, after all, to go _home_. After a few minutes, he rolled over onto his back yet again. This time he heard an answering rustling from Aberdeen's cage, and he sighed. "Sorry. I don't mean to keep you awake."

The same series of thoughts—well, unpleasant scenarios, mostly—ran in circles in his head, and he managed to completely miss the sound of footsteps on the stairs right up until the door opened. "Who's there?" he demanded as the hinge squeaked. Molly, the most likely person to be checking up one people in the middle of the night, would probably have announced herself, but maybe one of the boys—

"Severus? What in Merlin's name are you still doing up?"

"Alastor?" Severus took his hand off his wand and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Aye." A tiny light globe activated on the ceiling. "Don't you know what time it is? You ought to have been asleep hours ago."

"I know it's late," Severus returned. "I couldn't sleep. Where were you? Nobody would tell me what was happening." The light wasn't bright enough for him to see Alastor's features very clearly, but from what little Severus could make out, he looked all right, at least.

Alastor shook his head. "Just a bit of a mess up north. It's dealt with now."

"That doesn't help," Severus muttered. In fact, the only reason that it was any more encouraging than the things that Molly and Arthur had been telling him earlier was because Alastor was the one saying it. It certainly didn't contain any more actual _information_. "Are Gideon and Fabian all right?" he asked.

"They're just fine. Caradoc and the others too. A few lumps scattered about here and there, but nothing that won't heal in time." There was the sound of a yawn, and then, "Lay back down, now. We could both use some sleep, I think."

"We aren't going home?" Severus asked, even as he slipped back under the blankets.

There was motion—Alastor drawing his wand, Severus realized—and then rustling as blankets unfolded and the second bed along the wall made itself up neatly. "Aye, and wouldn't up and disappearing in the middle of the night be a rude shock for Molly and Arthur tomorrow? We'll stay here tonight and give them a proper thanks and goodbye in the morning." Alastor patted Severus' chest lightly as he stepped past him. "Eyes closed, now."

"Will you tell me what happened tomorrow?"

"Eyes closed," Alastor repeated as he took off his cloak and leg and boot and lay down, not even bothering to transfigure the rest of his clothing.

That wasn't an answer any more than 'just a mess' had been, but Severus' eyes were starting to drift shut of their own accord as Alastor extinguished the light globe. He would ask again when they woke up…hopefully Alastor was just tired and would tell him a little more then.

Despite the tossing and turning that he'd done last night, Severus awoke before Alastor, and the first thing that he did was check and make sure that Alastor was really there. That his mind hadn't been playing some sort of sick joke on him because of exhaustion or something. But Alastor was still in the other bed, his breathing even and just shy of heavy enough to be called snoring, and Severus frowned. Now that the sun was up, he had a much clearer view of Alastor's features, and there was an ugly bruise across his jaw and what looked like blood on the shirtsleeve not tucked under his blanket. Dried blood, yes, but still blood, and whether it had been dried when he'd arrived last night….

Alastor shifted, muttering something unintelligible as Severus leaned forward to try and see if there was any blood on the blankets, and Severus stepped back quickly. This was the man that had charms on the door of his room; for all Severus knew, he had something similar on the cloak he'd hung over the headboard as well.

Severus checked Aberdeen quickly, promising her food when he had some, and then he went downstairs instead of staying in the room and risking waking Alastor up. Molly was up as well, mixing something on the stove, and he headed over to her. "Good morning. Can I do anything to help?"

"Oh, Severus, good morning. You startled me," Molly said. "But I suppose you could set the table, if you wouldn't mind. Do you remember where the dishes are? Is Alastor awake yet?"

"No." He shook his head. "I mean, yes, I remember where the dishes are, but no, Alastor is still asleep. I came down because didn't want to wake him." He pulled down a stack of dishes from the cabinet and then frowned. "How did you know he was here?" As far as he knew, Molly and Arthur had gone to bed at the same time he had, and he expected that they'd actually gone to sleep…maybe Alastor had stopped in to alert them to his presence before joining Severus in the spare room?

"He marked the floo." She gestured vaguely, but whatever Alastor had marked there, Severus couldn't make it out. "Oh, and if you wouldn't mind slicing some apples when the table is finished, I'd appreciate it."

He pulled a handful of silverware out of the drawer and began to sort it out. "Of course."

Arthur came in to greet Molly while Severus was still chopping up apples and then went to wake the boys, and Severus looked up at the sound of uneven footsteps on the stairs. He was glad to see Alastor up and moving, but navigating the steps seemed to be taking Alastor a lot longer than it should have, and when he reached the ground floor, Severus realized that he was limping and leaning on his cane a lot more heavily than usual. Severus put the knife in the sink—all but one of the apples were chopped; that should be plenty even with six people eating—and hurried over. "Alastor? Are you all right?"

"Good morning, and there's a good lad," Alastor said, accepting his arm. "You needn't worry; I'll be fine in an hour or two. My leg's just a bit stiffer than I expected this morning."

"Are you sure?" Severus asked as they made their way to the table.

Alastor nodded. "Aye. It won't be the first time that this has happened after a long night. But I'm thinking that Gideon's idea of a short holiday after all of our paperwork is complete might be one of his better ones. Not that I'm up for making any long journeys, but I daresay that you and I could amuse ourselves around the house for a few days before I have to go back in." He paused for a moment, getting himself settled in one of the wooden chairs and leaning his crutch against the tabletop. "Unless you've made plans with your friends, of course. You've a perfect right to get out and about if you choose."

Severus shook his head and once again kept himself from pointing out that he didn't really have much in the way of friends. A couple of days just spending time with Alastor sounded pretty good to him.

"Oh, Molly, is there anything we can do?" Alastor asked as she turned away from the stove with the pot of porridge in her hands. "I'm sorry, I intended for us both to be headed home yesterday evening instead of imposing on you, but—"

She shook her head. "Oh, no, you're no imposition. I know as well as anyone that plans can change. And Severus has already been very helpful this morning, although if you wouldn't mind moving the fruit to the table?"

Severus did as she asked before Alastor could rise, and Arthur brought the boys in for breakfast a few minutes later. He had better sense than to try asking Alastor any more about what had happened yesterday in front of a couple little kids—or, for that matter, in front of Molly—so he answered a few questions about school and his ride on the Hogwarts Express, sidestepped a few others, and concentrated on keeping Molly from heaping extra food on his plate when he wasn't looking.

* * *

"'It's fine now' isn't an answer," Severus said, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew that he sounded sulky, and that wasn't the impression that he wanted to give, but he couldn't help it. They'd floo'd home from the Weasleys' shortly after breakfast, and Alastor had almost immediately retired to his room for a few more hours of sleep. Severus hadn't begrudged him that, especially since he'd taken a short nap on the couch himself in the middle of chapter three of the book he'd grabbed, but when Alastor had joined him in the sitting room a few hours later, Severus had been more than willing to put down his book in favor of getting some actual answers about what had happened yesterday. Unfortunately, all of his attempts to get those answers were failing miserably because Alastor wasn't cooperating any more than Molly and Arthur had been, and Severus' frustration was about to boil over. Just because it was done with didn't mean that he didn't want to know what had happened. Sure, he was fine with not knowing all of the gory details, but Alastor could at least admit that some kind of a fight had happened. Which, when he thought about it, was yet another opening. "You didn't get those bruises on your face because you tripped and fell in a ditch," he pointed out.

"That's enough," Alastor said firmly before Severus could bring up the dried blood as well, pushing himself up out of his chair and turning towards the kitchen. "No more questions. I told you, there is nothing more to discuss. Now, I'm going to check the preserver and make a list; we'll need to go to the market this afternoon. At the very least, I know we need bread and jam. If there's anything in particular you want let me know, otherwise you need to take your cloak to your room and hang it up properly."

Severus scowled at the cloak lying across the back of the couch. That wasn't exactly where it was supposed to go, maybe, but Alastor had never minded him leaving it there on any other occasion, which made it an even worse excuse to end the conversation that it sounded like on the surface. "I don't need anything, and yes there _is_ more to discuss," he pressed. "Saying 'It's fine now' doesn't just magically make it so. Not any more than it makes it an answer."

Alastor turned back to him with a frown. "It is nothing that you need to concern yourself with, then. Do as you're told."

Severus pushed himself up off the couch and grabbed his cloak. "This isn't _fair_, you know." He didn't miss the clench of Alastor's jaw, and he had no idea where the sudden streak of boldness was coming from, but after yesterday, he was well and truly tired of getting the equivalent of a pat on the head and being told to run and play so he went with it. "I'm not a little child, and it's not fair that all of you treat me like one. Plus, I'm not stupid." He frowned. "_No one_ is that stupid, actually. I know bloody well what bruises and dry blood look like, and those don't just go away because you say so either."

"I suggest that you watch your tone, lad."

Severus ignored the warning in his voice. "Something happened up north—wherever the hell 'up north' actually is—and I'm not just going to stick my fingers in my ears and pretend that everything is perfect when it isn't! I'll go to Diagon Alley and ask for myself if I have to. Or Knockturn, they'll know for sure there."

"You'll do no such thing," Alastor snapped. "What you will do is go to your room and stay there for a bit until you calm down. Am I making myself clear?"

"I want to know what's going on!" Severus barely refrained from stamping his boot. He really wanted to, but his whole point was that he wasn't a child, so…. "I'm not allowed to just make things up when I want to, so why are you?"

"I said that this conversation is _over_," Alastor said, his voice just below what would be considered a shout. "What happened does not concern you. Now, go to your room."

"No!" Severus had no idea what possessed him to say that—directly disobeying Tobias Snape had never lead to anything but immediate, painful consequences, and his grandfather had never hesitated with his curses when Severus' demeanor had even hinted at defiance—but what he'd said was true enough. Besides, now that it was out of his mouth he might as well keep talking because if Alastor was going to punish him for disobedience, he'd be better off getting everything else out too and having it over with all at once. "I have to answer when you ask questions, and I'm not allowed to lie. Why do you get to? Because whatever happened yesterday, it definitely wasn't—and probably still isn't—_fine_. And you know it."

Alastor's hands opened and shut, and Severus made himself hold his ground. Not that it would do one bit of good if Alastor really lost his temper, in fact it would probably be the exact opposite, but he wasn't going to fidget or act as though he'd done anything wrong when he hadn't.


	44. AU:  A Talk

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Here's to the holidays and a little extra time to write._

* * *

Severus kept his gaze on the cloudy sky—it had been threatening rain ever since he got out here, but he would swear that those clouds were getting even darker as the minutes passed—and tried to pretend that he wasn't cold. He hadn't had any idea what to expect after losing his temper and shouting at Alastor, but he'd been better braced for a blow than Alastor pushing past him, stalking off down the hall into his room, and all-but-slamming his door behind him. The only words he'd spoken at all had been a curt order for Severus to stay where he was.

Severus had been angry enough to go outside immediately in retaliation, but although he'd slammed the front door more than loud enough that Alastor must have heard him, he hadn't received any kind of response. And that had been forever ago…an hour, at least, probably more like two or three.

If he'd been thinking, he'd at least have kept his cloak with him instead of throwing it back down onto the couch before storming out, but no, it was inside, and he was out here. And he wasn't going back in, even if that threatening rain had to be coming soon and he didn't think that he was imagining the dropping temperature.

He pulled his arms tighter around himself. Of course, that begged the question of what he _was_ going to do. He obviously couldn't sit beside the stoop forever. Brian's house was within easy walking distance, but he couldn't just…show up. He knew how to get to London, but he didn't know anyone there that he could go to since it wasn't like he'd magically acquired any school friends recently, and who knew what had happened to the abandoned building next to the apothecary down Knockturn Alley. It might have been destroyed at the same time as the apothecary. Besides, Alastor would be pretty furious if he went there. Lily was still at school, and if Molly and Arthur or Gideon and Fabian were accessible by bus, he didn't know which bus it would be. And anyway, if he went to one of them, they'd just call Alastor. Which meant...what?

"Severus?"

Severus hadn't even heard the door open, and he started at Alastor's voice. The slight movement must have given him away because Alastor's head swiveled in his direction.

"Bloody hell, have you been sitting out here all this time?" He reached Severus in two steps, and then one hand caught Severus by the collar, hauling him up and giving him a shake. "What in Merlin's name were you thinking? You're not even wearing a cloak!"

Severus squirmed, but it would take a lot more than that to break Alastor's grip.

"Come inside before you catch your death of cold," Alastor ordered.

The grip on his collar that hadn't released would be enough to guarantee compliance with that order, and Severus knew it, but he did his best to plant his feet anyway as Alastor began to drag him towards the door. "_No_."

Alastor stopped, although he didn't look particularly happy. "That's enough. This isn't the place, and it isn't—" he scowled up at the sky as a drop of water landed on his cheek—"it _certainly_ isn't the weather. Come back inside and we can talk." He frowned. "Where in Merlin's name is your wand?"

"Here." Severus produced it automatically and then realized with some annoyance that he could have cast a heating spell for himself easily enough if he'd been thinking.

Alastor nodded slightly and then dipped his head in the direction of the door again, and after a moment, Severus tucked his wand back into its holster and walked in of his own accord. Albeit with Alastor's hand still on his collar, but at least he wasn't being dragged any more. Alastor had said talk so maybe that meant that he was finally going to get some answers. Besides, if he stayed outside, he'd have to cast both a warming spell and a waterproofing spell, and while he had an excellent version of the former, the latter was rather lacking. And he still didn't know what he'd do after that.

It wasn't until he stepped inside and felt the temperature difference—and promptly started shivering—that he realized how cold he must have been outside even if he hadn't noticed it at the time, and he found himself without the energy to fight as Alastor grumbled something and a cloak was wrapped around his shoulders.

Alastor's hand on his back urging him forward was definitely better than an unbreakable grip on his collar, and Severus relaxed a little further when Alastor bypassed the study without even a glance. And then Severus realized that they were passing his room as well, and he shook his head and stopped quickly.

"Severus, enough. Go on."

"I don't want to go back to the Weasleys," Severus said through teeth that seemed determined to chatter. "I want to stay here." Maybe he hadn't wanted to a few minutes ago, but he didn't want Alastor to pitch him through the floo again either.

"What?" Alastor shook his head. "You aren't going anywhere, lad. Well, not unless you want to, I suppose. It's just a bit easier to warm my room quickly with the fireplace right there."

Severus could see his point, he really could, but….

"Would you rather talk in your room?" Alastor asked before he could say anything.

Severus nodded quickly.

"All right, then."

Severus didn't need a second invitation, turning back and pushing open his door. Once inside he climbed up onto his bed quickly, putting his back against the headboard and pulling the cloak tighter around himself. Alastor settled himself beside Severus, leaning his crutch against the wall and drawing his wand. Even through the continuing shivers, Severus felt the temperature rise quickly as Alastor muttered a spell that he didn't immediately recognize.

"That a bit better?"

"Yes, sir." It was, too. Of course the cloak around his shoulders—Alastor's; the red coloring was pretty hard to miss when he actually looked at the thing—was probably doing just as much, but either way, he wasn't going to argue.

Alastor shook his head. "Aye, and we'll not be starting that again."

Normally Severus would have corrected himself, or, if he was feeling a little daring, repeated himself and received a flick to his nose or forehead in return, but right now he wasn't feeling even a little bit normal so he kept his mouth shut.

Alastor didn't seem inclined to speak either, and the two of them sat side by side in silence for several minutes. "Suppose…suppose this hasn't been the best way to start a holiday," Alastor finally offered.

Severus shrugged and then shook his head. Truthfully, it wasn't the _worst_ start he'd ever had either, but it definitely could have been better.

"It's not…." Alastor shook his head. "There are things that I'm involved in that you don't need to know about. You might not like it, but it's true enough."

"I told you, I don't care about the details," Severus returned. "But it's not fair to keep saying everything is fine when it's obviously _not_." He could feel his temper rising again as he spoke, and he tried to control it, but it seemed like Alastor was listening this time, and he couldn't not say it. "I'm not a little kid, and I'm not stupid, and you and Molly and Arthur can say it as many times as you want, I'm not going to believe 'fine' just because! Especially when you're gone until all hours and come back hurt and—"

"_Enough_, lad," Alastor interrupted. "I know you're upset. And I suppose you've a point, all things considered. You are old enough to know a bit about what's going on around you. I expect that you'd hear about most of it at school if nothing else."

Severus hearing things at school tended to manifest more as him _over_hearing things that had never been meant for his ears, and he usually picked up snippets rather than entire conversations, but if he put his mind to it, he probably could find out just about anything that he wanted to so he just shrugged.

"There's been some trouble lately. _More_ trouble, I should say. As I said, I'm not going to go into specifics, but occasionally little problems that ought to stay little don't, and when we look closer…." He shook his head. "Let's just say that there have been some incidents with just few too many things in common. Nothing that we can pin on any single person, of course. Nothing we can even use to bring anyone in for questioning if they won't willingly accompany us—aside from those caught in the act of course, but they're always low level types, never the sort who could give us something useful—but all of us who have been at this more than two minutes can see it."

"This just started?" Severus asked cautiously, not wanting Alastor to stop talking.

"Started?" Alastor shook his head. "No, no, escalating might be a better word, but this certainly isn't the start of anything new. There have been ties between attacks—again, from things that wouldn't stand up in court, but it's there if you know what you're looking for—going back at least five years. Maybe longer if I went digging around in old case files, but back when I first started noticing oddities the incidents were much less frequent than they are now and it took a bit to put things together. It's the increasing number of incidents—and the escalation of violence levels—that's really been getting obvious in the past year or so."

"Like the attack on Marlene and her sister last summer?" And on Alastor and Gideon and Fabian, not that Severus was going to bring that up.

Alastor's jaw tightened, but he nodded slightly. "Aye, that'd be one."

"What happened yesterday?"

"A trap," he said after a moment. "Several, rather. We're short staffed, which is generally the state of things, nothing new there, but Greenbaum decided to take one of the older apprentices with him to handle what was reported as a Muggle-baiting while his partner took another apprentice and followed up on a different case elsewhere. Unfortunately, the Muggle-baiting turned out to be anything but. Greenbaum took the worst of the initial blast, but it was more luck than anything that Torrence managed to fight her way free and call for help. Clever lass, that one, she'll make full Auror before the year is out, I'd say, but if they'd timed things a bit closer…." Alastor shook his head. "Anyway, half a dozen of us got there in time to salvage the situation and get Greenbaum off to St. Mungo's before he was too far gone. He should be fine eventually—though this might be the incident that finally convinces him to actually take that retirement that he's been hinting about—but cleaning the place out took a lot longer than anyone expected. There were booby traps scattered everywhere. It must have taken days to set up. And as last I heard, no one has found out anything about the Muggles who were supposed to be living there, which is hardly encouraging news."

"What happened to _you_?" Severus asked.

"Exploding jar in one of the kitchen cupboards." He snorted. "Bit of stupidity on my part, given what else we'd already seen was trapped, and I think diving away from it did me more damage than the explosion did given the fact that the floor was littered with shards from a few dozen other explosions."

"What if it happens again?"

Alastor rubbed his back lightly. "Expect that's more of a 'when' than an 'if', youngling. I can't exactly claim that my job is the safest one in the world, and if I'm right, things will get rougher before we get everyone involved locked up or otherwise dealt with. But I'm a fair hand at keeping myself alive, aye?"

Severus kept his eyes on his hands.

"Can't say I've never lost a piece here or there, I suppose, but I do all right. Got a bit wiser in my old age, even if yesterday wasn't my finest hour when it comes to proving it. And you know that if I get myself banged up, you've a place with Molly and Arthur until I'm back on my feet."

'Or not,' he didn't say, but Severus heard it anyway, and he kept his head down as he shrugged. He didn't mind visiting the Weasleys, but he didn't want to stay there. Especially if it meant that Alastor was gone.

Alastor cleared his throat awkwardly and then patted Severus' back. "Well, there's no sense in worrying about that now You must be getting hungry, using up all your energy shivering out there in the cold all afternoon. We haven't much in the kitchen, but there ought to be something, and now that your teeth have stopped chattering, let's see what we can scrape together for dinner."

Severus bit his lip as Alastor pushed himself up off the bed and tucked his crutch back under his arm. "Am I in trouble?"

"Hm?" Alastor snorted. "Well, I suppose that you ought to be since I seem to remember telling you to stay where you were, which hardly includes going out and getting yourself half frozen, but I daresay that I could have handled things considerably better as well. Just this once I don't think that we need to worry about it, all right?"

That got a quicker nod. "Yes, sir."

Alastor raised an eyebrow.

"Mean, yes, Alastor."

"That's better. Though, mind, I'd best not hear about you running of to Knockturn or any such foolishness, is that understood? It's no place for young ones to be—or even half-grown ones—and bad day or not, if I do hear about it you'll find yourself taking a meal or two standing when you get home."

Severus nodded quickly. "Understood."

"All right, then."

Dinner was a little odd, more like breakfast than anything else since Alastor had sausage, eggs, and not much else in the preserver, but there was enough to fill both of them and still leave a bit for breakfast in the morning. Not for _more_ than that, but it was enough. And if both of them remained silent as they ate...well, Severus wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, and it wasn't like either of them talked a lot anyway. It wasn't uncomfortable silence, at least.

"I do have to go into the office and do some paperwork tomorrow," Alastor said as they finished and began to clear the table, finally breaking the quiet, "but I ought to be done by lunchtime or so. How about I come home and pick you up and we spend the afternoon in London? We can get lunch at a café or somesuch and maybe stop by that store where your games came from, and then we can go by the market and restock on our way home."

Severus nodded quickly. "That sounds good."

"Actually…." Alastor trailed off with a frown. "Why don't you floo to the Ministry at about noon instead and meet me in the Aurors' Office? No sense in me making a double trip, and that will give me an excuse to be going even if a certain department head tries to keep me around for 'just one more form.'"

Another quick nod. "I can do that."

"Good lad." He set the last of the dishes in the sink. "Do you think you'd be up for a game of chess before bed?"

"I'll fetch the board," Severus said quickly.

* * *

Severus checked the clock again. Alastor had said noon, and Severus didn't want to interrupt him while he was working, but breakfast had been forever ago and there really was nothing else in the kitchen. Well, he'd found a box of biscuits in the back of one cupboard, but the things had probably been here longer than he had and were totally inedible. Alastor must have been taking most of his meals in Diagon Alley lately. Well, that or he'd just eaten his cupboards bare and hadn't had time to buy more. Either way, it left Severus hungry. And being bored didn't help. Not that there weren't plenty of books available to read, but the one he'd grabbed wasn't holding his attention, and with only twenty minutes or so left it didn't seem worth going in search of a new one.

He made another quick rummage through the kitchen, added sweet peppers to the shopping list he'd made, and managed to occupy himself until the hands on the clock finally reached quarter-till. At which point he tucked the list into his pocket, grabbed his cloak, and headed for the floo. Alastor had said _about_ noon, after all, and he should stop by and say hello to Gideon and Fabian and Caradoc anyway.

He wasn't usually in Alastor's room unless he and Alastor were going somewhere, and he couldn't help but take a quick look at Alastor's bookshelves as he passed through. He knew better than to approach them, although sometime he'd like to get a closer look at a few of the ones whose titles he could read from where he stood. And there were probably other interesting ones up there too if Alastor would just let him poke around for a little bit. Now wasn't the time, though, and Severus was reaching for a handful of floo powder when he noticed another stack of books beside the bed. Severus felt himself flush as he looked a little closer and recognized one of the books in the stack as the _Raising a Young Wizard _book that Miss Eustace had given Alastor when Alastor had officially become his guardian. Severus frowned. Actually _all_ of the books in the pile looked like they were about raising children. Five or six of the things, definitely not just the two that he knew that Alastor had been given. Maybe Molly had sent him a few?

He bit his lip and then knelt quickly, picking up the top one and flipping through it quickly. It was pretty obvious that it had been read; in fact, from the bits of parchment sticking out of various pages, they all had been.

He put the first book down quickly in the exact same spot where it had been. Not that he wasn't curious about what kinds of things it said on those marked pages, but even if he wasn't looking at spell books, he didn't know what other spells Alastor had on this room, and he didn't want to be caught snooping. Besides, he was still hungry.


	45. AU: Starting the Holiday

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Life is busy, but I'm writing when I can.  
_

* * *

Gideon was rounding the corner as Severus turned into the Aurors' Offices, and Severus raised a hand in greeting automatically, tearing his mind away from those books that he'd seen.

"Coming to confess to a plot to bring about the end of the Wizarding world?" Gideon asked cheerfully.

"Coming to meet Alastor for lunch." Severus corrected, doing his best to study Gideon without being obvious about it. At first, he thought that Gideon had made it through the attack unscathed, but then he noticed a long cut along his temple, mostly hidden by his hair. And was he favoring one leg?

"Lunch?" If Gideon _had_ injured his leg, it clearly wasn't severe because he was beside Severus before Severus even realized that he'd moved, an arm slung over Severus' shoulders. "Walk this way. Fabian, look who's here for lunch."

"Lunch? Lunch is food. We like food. Hello, Severus," Fabian greeted, pushing himself up from his desk and stepping up on Severus' other side. His injuries were a little more obvious than Gideon's: one of his arms was in a sling and he had an ugly bruise on his cheek.

"You know, Fabian, something occurs to me," Gideon said, and there was something suspiciously…suspicious…about his tone.

"Oh?"

"Aside from the fact that he and Alastor are off to lunch, Severus can also _cook_ food."

"You know, that's true." Fabian put his uninjured arm around Severus' shoulders from his previously-free side, trapping him between them. "Let's go this way."

Fabian turned them towards a marked staircase, and Severus was trying to figure out how to get away from the nutters in the guise of Aurors when Alastor came around the far corner with a folder in his hands. His attention was on the paperwork, and he was halfway down the aisle to them before he finally looked up and saw them.

"Oh, Severus, you're early. I was going to come down to the lobby to meet you." His pleased expression changed into a slight frown and his gaze focused on his partner before Severus could respond. "What are you lot up to? I haven't seen you and Fabian looking this suspicious since you tricked those three trainees into sneaking into the Minister's office."

"I'm not up to anything," Severus protested. "In fact, I'm not totally sure, but I think I might be being kidnapped."

"Nonsense, we're just going to take him home with us," Gideon said.

"And keep him for awhile," Fabian added. "Just long enough to convince him to make us food that didn't come from a food cart."

Alastor snorted. "That would be kidnapping."

"Nonsense. At worse, it's kid_borrowing_."

"Severus."

"But he's a better cook than we are," Gideon objected as Severus wriggled away at Alastor's beckoning gesture.

"I suppose that Severus and I could manage dinner for the lot of us tomorrow," Alastor said with a shake of his head. "Caradoc too, if he's up and around by then. But you can't take him home with you."

"That's so unfair."

Alastor snorted again and then patted Severus' shoulder lightly. "Be a good lad and fetch my cloak from my desk, would you? I'll meet you by the lift after I drop this off."

Severus nodded quickly.

"And if any redheaded Aurors try and snatch you again, feel free to hex them."

"But we'll bribe you with chocolate!" Fabian called as Severus turned to go.

Severus heard Gideon mutter something about having eaten all the chocolate two days ago as he turned towards Alastor's desk, and he shook his head and grinned again. Apparently, Alastor wasn't the only one with bare cupboards. Although he was a little surprised that Alastor hadn't suggested that the two of them to join them for lunch today instead of dinner tomorrow. Then again, knowing Gideon and Fabian, if they had _wanted_ to come along, they'd have invited themselves. If they were feeling the same way that Alastor was, they were probably trying to get their paperwork done so they could take few days off too. And attempted kidnapping just happened to be their idea of a friendly greeting.

He was a little surprised that Gideon rejoined him after he grabbed Alastor's cloak, and for a moment he thought that Gideon had decided to join them for lunch, but Gideon tugged him aside before he reached the lift. "I don't know what your plans are for this afternoon," Gideon said before Severus could insist that he didn't really want to be kidnapped. "But try to keep Alastor for doing too much wandering around, all right?"

Severus nodded automatically, and then, "How badly is he hurt? He said that it wasn't anything too serious." Alastor had given him some details maybe, but if Gideon was willing to pass along a few more, he take them.

"Oh, it's nothing that he needs to visit St. Mungo's for or anything like that," Gideon said quickly, "but he banged his knee pretty good diving out of the way of one of the booby-trapped pieces, and it'll take a few days to heal. And in the meantime, it wouldn't be a bad idea if he gave it some actual rest instead of stomping around muttering about stiff joints."

"I'll do my best."

Gideon nodded and patted his shoulder. "And Fabian and I are going to kidnap you for lunch sometime before you have to go back to school so you can tell us all about this firework display that you put on at school without Alastor frowning disapprovingly at the lot of us. Just so you know."

Severus nodded again. Temporary for-a-meal kidnappings were perfectly okay as long as he knew they were coming. Besides, they'd probably want to hear about how his birthday present was working out too, and even if it was all harmless stuff—and he was pretty certain that they'd eventually told Alastor what they'd gotten him anyway—he didn't really want to talk about it in front of his guardian. Especially since he wanted more of some of the stuff, or at least some details about where they'd found it.

Another pat on his shoulder, and the, "See you tomorrow night."

"See you tomorrow night," Severus echoed.

Alastor was fiddling with the wrapping on the handhold of his crutch when Severus joined him in front of the lift, and he accepted his cloak with a nod of thanks. "Any particular preference about where we go for lunch?"

"Not really."

"What about that fish and chips shop in Muggle London that we stopped in at Christmas? It's not far from the shop where I got your games."

Severus definitely wanted to go there, but Muggle London wasn't exactly small. "Is it far to walk?"

Alastor glanced over at him. "Gideon's been telling tales, hasn't he?"

"Umm…." Severus didn't want to admit it, but it was pretty obvious that Alastor already knew so he settled for a shrug.

Alastor snorted and rapped a knuckle against his forehead lightly. "No, it isn't far. And when Gideon comes for dinner tomorrow, you can tell him to relax." He shook his head. "It's times like these that it's entirely too obvious that he and Molly are related. And it's even worse when Fabian decides to join in." The lift arrived, and he gestured for Severus to precede him. "Come along, it's time for lunch, and I, for one, am hungry."

* * *

Oh. Board games as in they were played on boards, not bored games as in you played them because you were bored. That made much more sense, actually, Severus decided as they entered the cluttered shop. There were a lot of them here…a lot of different ones, by the look of things.

"The ones with all the little Muggle light-up bits aren't likely to agree so well with magic," Alastor warned quietly, following him in.

Severus nodded, but he didn't really need the warning. He hadn't had much to do with Muggle technology since he and his mother had left his father behind, and he saw no reason to change that now. Severus stepped forward towards the first row of shelves and then paused and glanced back at Alastor, trying to be discrete about it. For all Alastor's insistence that he was fine, Severus hadn't missed that he'd been moving a little slower on the walk here after lunch than he had been when they'd left the Ministry earlier, and there didn't seem to be any chairs in the store where he could sit and rest while Severus browsed.

"Well, go on," Alastor urged. "Surely you can find another game or two for us to try. Since my Scrabble losses are getting suspicious."

"I just know lots of words," Severus protested. Not that he really thought that Alastor was upset considering that Alastor almost never refused a game, but it was the principle of the thing. "Besides, _you_ almost always beat _me_ at Cluedo."

"Strictly talent."

Severus snorted and then stepped forward again. He'd look quickly now, find something that both of them would enjoy, and then sometime when Alastor was feeling better—or if he was ever in London by himself—he'd come back and check the shelves a little more closely. And maybe afterwards he could convince Alastor to apparate them straight home from here. He could run to the market alone and pick up enough food for a few days easily enough.

There were a lot of games here, though, even when he wasn't planning to look at most of them in-depth, and after walking randomly up and down a few aisles, he stepped back and tried to get some sense of how the place was organized. It took him a minute, but there were signs on the ends of most of the shelves, and he was able to move past the ones for children and the ones labeled 'Educational' quickly.

The ones labeled 'Strategy and Tactics' looked kind of interesting, though. A couple seemed to require some familiarity with Muggle weaponry, but others didn't, and after a quick look at the instructions, he tucked one called Stratego under his arm.

The card games didn't interest him as much…there might be interesting ones among the lot, but considering that none of the boxes had much information on them, he'd need to spend more time reading instructions to find the good ones than he really wanted to right now.

He found Scrabble a few aisles away, sitting on a shelf labeled 'Word Games,' but none of the games around it looked very interesting, and considering that the games on the other side were supposed to have something to do with economics, he almost bypassed them entirely as well. The one called Monopoly caught his eye, though, mostly because of the 'special London edition' advertising, and the fact that it could be played by between two and eight people was definitely a mark in its favor. At least for playing at Alastor's when Gideon and Fabian were likely to drop by. Considering that it advertised dealing and trading among players, he could see how games could get more interesting than simple chance would indicate, and since it had been around for years and was obviously still popular, he grabbed that one as well.

There were still more shelves, some of which contained books, others that held bits of twisted metal and odd shapes that you were apparently supposed to do something with, but nothing stood out. And since he had two games, he decided to go see what Alastor was doing.

Severus found him on the other side of the store looking at boxes with brightly colored pictures and not much in the way of names on them, much of his weight on the support beam beside him. "Alastor?"

Alastor shifted his weight back to his feet—or foot and peg—quickly. "Hello, lad. Did you find something that you'd like?" Severus brandished the two games that he'd found, and Alastor took them, looking at each before returning his gaze to Severus. "They look interesting, but we haven't been here very long. Are you sure that you don't want to look around any more?"

Severus shook his head and then gestured at the shelves in front of Alastor. "What are these?"

"Muggle puzzles. It's a bit strange, if you ask me; they take a perfectly good picture, chop it into a thousand pieces, and then make you put it back together again if you want to look at it."

"Hm." Severus picked out an image of oversized planets in a night sky. He liked the image, but why they would have broken it up…. He frowned. Way back when, he'd had a toy that was an animal image in several pieces that you put together. It had been easy, even when he'd been really little, but a thousand pieces would be a whole lot more challenging. He flipped the box over, but the only thing on the back was a short blurb about the different planets. Although he had heard things rattling inside the box when he'd turned it.

"Suppose something like that might give you a break from your studying if you'd like to try one," Alastor said after a minute. "You needn't have another person around to play it."

Severus looked at the box for a little longer and then nodded. He wasn't sure if that meant that he should return one of the games, but Alastor didn't seem inclined to hand either of them back to him so he thought probably not.

"All right, then," Alastor said with a nod. "If you're really certain that you're finished here, I suppose that we should go pay. And there's a market not far from here so we can stop there before we head home."

"Or we could go straight home," Severus suggested, seeing an opening. "And I could just go to the market there. After all, there's no need for us both to go, and that way we won't have to carry the games around while we shop." He realized as soon as the words were out of his mouth that it wasn't a very good excuse since Alastor could just shrink the games and put them in his pocket where they'd be no more trouble than a few coins, but it was the first thing that had popped into Severus' mind.

Alastor raised an eyebrow, and it was pretty obvious that he knew perfect well what Severus' real motivation was, but considering that he _had_ been leaning on that beam….

"Plus I know where everything is in that store," Severus added. "It'll go quicker that way."

"I suppose it's not a terrible idea," Alastor admitted after a moment, and if his tone was grudging, at least he seemed to be agreeing. "We probably ought to make a proper list first anyway. Make sure you don't come back with all the ingredients for baked chicken except the chicken."

Severus tried to keep his grin to himself, but judging by the hand that gripped his neck and shook him gently, he hadn't been very successful. That was okay, though. Especially since Alastor had gone along with it.

"Suppose I can look through the instructions for your new games while you shop, and we can try one when you get back," Alastor said as they got in line to purchase the games. "Which do you think you'd like to try first?"

"Stratego?" It was the true two-player one, after all.

"Aye, I think we can do that."


	46. AU: Chores and Conversation

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed._

* * *

"What do you mean, 'Go directly to jail'?" Gideon demanded, brandishing the card. "It can't send me to jail, I'm an Auror!"

"Actually, at the moment you're an odd looking shoe."

Gideon made a face at his brother. "Well, that's absurd. Severus, roll those dice and get me out of jail."

Severus was on the other side of the board and didn't think that there was a card to do that anyway, but he shrugged and tossed the dice. And promptly skipped right over the last unsold green property that he was aiming for and landed on one of Alastor's blues. "How do you own almost everything on this side of the board already?"

"Excellent estate planning skills. Now you owe me some amount of Muggle money. Eighty pounds, I believe." He shook his head, frowning at the card in his hand. "I still don't see why they can't use Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts like normal people."

"Well, I already transfigured my piece into a proper Wizard's hat," Fabian pointed out, drawing his wand. "Another tweak or two, and…."

"Hey, stop transfiguring my game," Severus ordered before Fabian could cast any spells. Not that he wouldn't prefer Wizarding currency over the Muggle kind as well, but if Fabian started changing the paper bills, they'd have to figure out how to change all the properties and cards too, and then they'd never finish the game.

The alarm for the chicken beeped before Fabian could respond, and Severus pushed himself to his feet and went to check it before any of the others could get up. Technically, he was supposed to be making the sides while Alastor did the chicken, but there was no sense in both of them getting up, and anyway, if Alastor stayed at the table, he could keep an eye on Severus' properties. Gideon kept trying to steal his orange away.

"Is it ready?" Alastor asked, turning to look back at him.

"Just about. I guess we should clear the table." This time Severus didn't object when Fabian drew his wand, and by the time he'd moved the chicken and sides to serving plates, the game board and money had been safely stowed on a nearby countertop, pieces and money frozen in place so they could resume later. Well, almost.

"Gideon, give that back," Alastor ordered before Severus could. "You do know that you're supposed to be setting a _good_ example, right?"

"Severus, you shouldn't steal," Gideon said seriously. "Only I'm allowed to steal."

Severus rolled his eyes. "That's a horrible example. And I want my orange property back."

"He's incorrigible," Gideon declared. "Nothing I can do."

"You know, I am holding dinner."

"He's incorrigible, and he's holding our food hostage."

Alastor snorted. "Well, he is a clever lad. I expect you should do as he asked."

Gideon glared at Alastor and then handed over the orange property with an exaggerated sigh, and Severus grinned and set the plate on the table so the others could get to it. "Thank you."

"See if I come visit you the next time your little dog ends up in jail." He paused and then grinned. "Maybe the puppy was stealing maternity robes."

"You're not funny," Severus said as he grabbed a piece of chicken off the plate.

"I think I'm funny."

"I think he's funny," Fabian agreed.

"May I throw the peas at them?"

* * *

There was a light tap at his door, and then, "Severus, are you still awake?"

"'m awake," Severus agreed, although the words were followed by a yawn.

"You didn't have to sit up listening to us ramble on," Alastor said with a chuckle, coming into the room and taking a seat on the edge of Severus' bed. "Could have taken yourself off when you got tired. We wouldn't have minded." He shook his head. "I can't imagine that that last hour or two was very interesting for you."

Severus shrugged. He knew perfectly well that he could have gone to bed any time, but he hadn't wanted to miss anything. Not that he was very sure what 'anything' would have been considering that after Alastor had finished beating them all at Monopoly—badly, the only bit of victory that Severus could claim was that he'd successfully kept his orange property out of Gideon's hands until the end—the four of them had moved to the other room with pudding and the conversation had shifted to new Ministry policies that meant nothing to Severus. He hadn't minded just listening, though.

"Well, I suppose there's no reason that you can't sleep a in a little tomorrow. Though don't think you're getting out of that promise to help me re-spell the roof."

Severus nodded automatically. "I'll help." Not that he had any idea _how_ to respell a roof since it wasn't something that Muggles did, obviously, and his grandparents would never have deigned to perform any kind of maintenance or repairs themselves, but Alastor had said that he'd teach him. "How come you aren't tired?"

"Oh, I am, but I did a bit of napping in between books this afternoon. And judging by the amount you've been eating, you're about due for a growth spurt, which probably has something to do with it as well."

Severus' eyes widened. He hadn't realized it, but he had had two sandwiches for lunch and had been the only one to take a full second helping at dinner tonight too. "I didn't mean to—"

Alastor tapped his nose lightly, cutting him off. "None of that, now, it was a comment, not a complaint. Of course you ought to eat when you're hungry, and that's especially true if you're about to shoot up another inch or two." He shook his head and knuckled Severus' forehead gently. "Though if you wouldn't mind growing _out_ a bit as well as up it would be appreciated. The way that Molly acts, you'd think that I feed you nothing but bread and water, and precious little of that. Got another lecture while you were getting your things together the other day."

"Molly fusses at everybody," Severus said, another yawn escaping before he could stop it. "Besides, I've been away at school so if anybody _had_ been feeding me bread and water, it wouldn't be your fault."

"Well, that's true, I suppose, but I doubt there's much chance of convincing her of that fact. I half expect to find her smuggling pies to you in the dead of night."

"She does make good pies," Severus pointed out.

Alastor shook his head and pulled Severus' blanket up a little further before patting his chest. "Aye, well, then, if I start finding suspicious crumbs around the house, I'll know who's to blame. But I think I'm off to bed too, so sleep well, my lad."

"Goodnight." Severus yawned again and then let his eyes drift shut. Today had been…nice. Not that they'd really done very much: a little cleaning after breakfast, reading, Severus had done some history revising which was probably when Alastor had napped, and then Alastor had spent the afternoon helping him with Transfiguration before Gideon and Fabian had arrived. Severus still didn't like Transfiguration, but Alastor was a lot more patient with him than Professor McGonagall. Or at least he was willing to spend time going over just one thing rather than trying to cram five totally different things into his head at once like she did. Severus wouldn't mind if days were like this all the time and stupid things like Hogwarts and Alastor's job and everything else didn't have to interfere. Well, okay, Alastor liked his job, so mostly just Hogwarts. He only had a week before he had to get back on the train. Less than that, now.

* * *

"Severus!" Alastor barked sharply. "What did I just say to you not ten minutes ago?"

Severus turned to find Alastor glaring at him, and he looked around quickly, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong. They were up on the roof to re-spell it—Severus hadn't realized that they'd actually have to climb up to perform the spell, and he still wasn't too sure that that fit the description of taking it easy on Alastor's leg, but when he'd tried to bring that up, Alastor had just flicked his forehead and insisted that it would be fine—but Alastor hadn't shown him the spell yet so all he'd been doing was surveying the neighborhood. He didn't see anything around them that would be upsetting Alastor…no Muggles staring or anything like that. He glanced down. Oh. Oops. "Sorry," he said, stepping back from the edge.

Alastor signaled him over—he hadn't moved far from the ladder since a roof wasn't the best place to use a crutch—and Severus bit his lip as he obeyed. Alastor didn't like having to repeat himself, especially where safety stuff was concerned.

A knuckle under his chin tilted his head up to meet Alastor's eyes. "This isn't Hogwarts, Severus. There are no spells here to keep a youngling from taking an accidental fall over the edge, and this may not be a tower, but taking a tumble still wouldn't end so well for you."

"I know. I'm sorry," Severus repeated. It was stupid of him not to have noticed how close to the edge he'd walked, especially since it wasn't like he had the kind of view from here that he had from Hogwarts. This was the just first time that he'd been able to look over their neighborhood like this, and it was interesting.

"You get that close again, and you're going back inside, aye?"

Despite what he had more than half expected, there was no threat of extra punishment attached, but Alastor still obviously wasn't happy with him, and Severus' eyes dropped back to the roof shingles. "Yes, sir." A knuckle rapped the bridge his nose lightly and then hooked under his chin and tilted his head up a second time, and he corrected himself automatically. "Mean, yes, Alastor."

"That's better." Alastor's expression relaxed a little. "Now, wand?"

Severus produced it obediently.

"Match what I do, aye?"

"Shouldn't we…?" He gestured around the neighborhood. There didn't seem to be anyone around to observe them, but who knew when someone would decide to take a walk.

"There's a low-level obscuring spell tied into the wards, even if someone sees us up here, they won't notice what we're doing. Any Muggle will assume we're checking for a leak or something of that sort." He shook his head. "Basic obscuring spells are good safety measures in general; doesn't do to let potential enemies get too close a look at a potential target."

"Oh. Okay." Severus wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say to statement like that, but then again, Alastor was an Auror so he was used to thinking in more defensive terms than he was. Plus, compared to wards on a bedroom door, obscuring spells on a roof weren't that weird. He raised his wand at Alastor's gesture and did his best to mimic Alastor's wand motions and incantation. It was just like learning a new spell in Charms or Defense, and it wasn't long before Alastor nodded in approval.

"Good lad. You spell the front, and I'll do the back, and then I'll strengthen the wards before we go down. Three times, remember, and make sure you get each corner and once in the center. And I had best not see you near that edge again."

Severus nodded. He had the spell down, now; it was hardly the most difficult incantation that he'd ever learned. And Alastor wouldn't let him do half if he didn't think that Severus would do it right, anyway. He turned around and aimed carefully.

When his three sections were done, he turned to find Alastor casting a few extra spells at the chimney, and he stayed quiet until Alastor finished before asking, "Is that all there is to it?"

"That's all. I'll check again the next time it rains and make sure that nothing got missed, but the spells should hold for another year."

"What does the spell really do?"

"It's minor sort of deflection spell; holds against rain or light debris or that sort of thing. It's not noticeable unless you're lying right on the shingles looking at it, and it won't hold against any truly heavy hits—there was a hailstorm in Hogsmeade a few years back that did a lot of damage to the roofs that had only this spell on them—but it's safe enough for use around Muggles, doesn't require much power to set and renew, and is a good deal less hassle than having to replace the roof every decade or two. Now, down you go."

Severus scrambled down the ladder quickly. It looked like a plain Muggle sort, but since he'd never seen it before he suspected that Alastor had transfigured it out of something this morning before he'd come outside. He ended up waiting at the bottom as Alastor made his way down much more slowly, his crutch hooked over his arm, pausing halfway to flick his wand in a much more complicated pattern than the one he'd shown Severus. Blue lines flickered and then faded out again quickly, and then Alastor joined Severus on the ground. "One more chore checked off, then. Nicely done."

The praise made Severus smile despite himself, and he gestured back towards the roof. "Those were the wards?"

"Aye." He flicked his wand, and the ladder abruptly turned back into a scraggly bush that Severus hadn't noticed was missing until Alastor turned it back.

"How do they work?"

Alastor frowned. "You haven't covered warding in your Defense class yet?"

"A little, but nothing like that." Had it been last year that he'd learned about them? It must have been; second year seemed too long ago, and third year the professor had been a particularly useless witch who'd had them copying textbook pages all year. None of which had had anything to do with wards. Anyway, whenever it had been, he only remembered a few wards offhand, since he tended to pay a lot more attention to things like personal shields that could be brought up and used in an instant.

"That's right, you told me about the rotating professor issue, and I've certainly noticed the educational gaps the incoming Auror trainees have. Even if they don't let me at them until they've had a year of apprenticeship first. Unfortunately, when it comes to cursed positions…." He shook his head. "I keep meaning to talk to Albus about it, but then every time I see him I forget. Well, come along, then. I've got a very good book on wards we can look at."

Severus trailed him inside and into the study, but whatever book Alastor was looking for he didn't seem to be finding it. "Maybe it's one of the ones that got put in my room?" he suggested as Alastor began to scan through the shelves a third time. "We did move quite a few of them." He didn't remember seeing any on warding, but he hadn't read all of them yet, either.

"Aye, that might be it, although…." He frowned. "No, that's not right, I know I needed to look up weaved warding for that case up in Manchester, and that's the book I would have used. It must be in my room."

Severus followed him down the hall, and since Alastor was right beside him and hadn't said not to, Severus didn't think he'd be in trouble for taking a quick look at his bookshelf. While Alastor scanned his shelves for whatever warding book he wanted, Severus glanced across them for other things. There were a lot of Defense books up there, which probably shouldn't have been a surprise, a few histories, quite a few with either no titles on the spines or titles that had rubbed off…. After a moment, he glanced over at Alastor. "May I look at some of these? I mean, take them down, and maybe read them?"

Alastor glanced over at him. "Is there one in particular you'd like to look at?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't looked that close yet."

"I suppose you can _look_, as long as I'm with you. In fact, only when I'm with you, the wards will activate otherwise. But mind, you ask before you start reading anything—certainly before you take anything out of the room—and if the answer is no then the answer is no. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Alastor."

"Good lad." He shook his head. "Now _where_ did I put that book? I swear the cover is light blue, and I thought the lettering was gold, but…."

He went back to scanning the shelves for his book on wards, and Severus grinned and stepped closer, pulling down the first unmarked book on the top shelf. It was just some kind of history book, though, and while he liked reading history books sometimes, that wasn't really what he wanted now, and he returned it to its place. Defense, defense…oh, that was straight up Dark Arts with no 'Defense' in front of it. He flipped it open to see if it had a table of contents or some sort of index, but there was neither, and after a glance at Alastor, he decided that that might not be the best book to ask for first. Even if it did look interesting.

It wasn't that Severus would really _use_ any Dark Arts he happened to learn…most things labeled Dark Arts were just different curses anyway, and it wasn't his fault that he happened to find curses more interesting than charms or other sorts of spells. Okay, well, maybe he _had_ used some of the curses he'd picked up from his grandparents, but it wasn't as though he'd ever done anything permanent to anyone—not after the mediwitch had reached them, anyway—and besides, the stupid Marauders had deserved everything they got. Still, even regular curses were the kind of thing that Alastor was bound to be strict about, and Severus put the book back on the shelf and moved on.

He continued scanning down the shelves, finding a couple Defense book that looked worth reading and pulling them out slightly to ask Alastor about later, a few more Dark Arts books that looked even more appealing although again he wasn't going to ask Alastor just yet, and then he found himself in front of the stack of child-rearing books that he'd seen on the floor the other day.

"What are you looking at there?" Alastor asked.

Severus shrugged and looked away, not quite sure what he was supposed to say, but Alastor noticed what was in front of him anyway.

"Wouldn't expect those would interest you much."

"You really read them?" Severus hadn't meant to sound so hesitant, but it had come out that way anyway, and he felt himself flush.

"Aye." Alastor shook his head. "They seem to run the gamut: a few are stuff and nonsense the whole way through—Merlin only knows what 'visualize and empathize with the universal constants' actually means; I certainly don't—and there's one in that stack that sounds like it could have been written by my father so I'm certainly not inflicting it on you, but a few make some reasonable points."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that younglings occasionally get up to mischief without meaning to, and sometimes a bit of sternness goes a long way." He flicked Severus' forehead gently. "I'm not the most patient man in the world so a reminder doesn't hurt every now and again."

Severus shrugged awkwardly and shifted a little bit towards Alastor. Alastor might be strict sometimes, but he was still a lot better than Severus' father or grandfather had ever been.

Alastor shook his head. "Suppose you can look through them yourself, if you'd like to. That bottom shelf isn't actually warded; I just use it for general storage. But for now I've found my book on warding, if you'd like to look through it with me."

That Severus didn't have to think about, and he nodded quickly. "And may I borrow this one, too?" He gestured randomly at one of the defense books he'd pulled out earlier, and Alastor checked it and then nodded.

"Aye. Though mind you don't try any of the spells unless I'm with you; there are several that can backfire rather spectacularly. As I recall, they stopped printing that edition after a few dozen people managed to land themselves in the hospital. And it's not to leave this house."


	47. AU: Afternoons

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. For everyone who is concerned, this hasn't been abandoned. It's just the real life thing and some other hobbies of mine that dictate how much time I spend writing (so also a special thanks to everyone who has stuck with this)._

* * *

"Miss Scarlett, in the study, with the knife," Brian said, and Severus shook his head. Not that he thought Brian was wrong, but it was bad enough that Alastor and the Prewetts always beat him at Cluedo. At least they were Aurors. No, it just seemed that he wasn't destined to win this game against _anyone_. Merlin's beard, he only had Miss Scarlett sorted at this point. He still had to rule out the wrench and three other rooms!

Brian held up the three cards that signaled that he was correct, and Severus nodded and put his own cards down. He hadn't really planned to invite Brian over today...he hadn't really planned to invite Brian over ever, really, it just wasn't the sort of thing that he did. Unfortunately Alastor had been moved up on the witness list for some trial and had had to go in to the Ministry, and their plans to spend the morning in the deserted field practicing warding spells had had to be postponed. Severus had spent some of the morning revising and some of the morning looking at the parenting books—Alastor had been right that one was scary and another was nonsense, although Severus wasn't too sure about the advice in a couple of the others either—and then he'd eaten the last of last night's dinner and the one piece of bread that had made it through breakfast and headed for the market. He needed to get up and do something, and Alastor had been right. He had been hungrier than usual lately and their cupboards reflected that.

Brian and his mum had been out working the narrow strip of earth beside their home when he'd passed by on his way home, and Brian had greeted Severus' presence with relief. Apparently he was on holiday this week as well, but his mum had been keeping him busy trying to get that tiny patch of earth prepared for the garden she missed from back wherever they'd lived before. Personally, given the location, the soil, and the lack of sun, Severus thought that short of magic the project was doomed to failure, but it wasn't his place to say. And since he hadn't had any particular plans for the afternoon and had enjoyed playing games with Brian before, the invitation had just sort of happened.

It hadn't occurred to him until they reached the front door that he didn't even know if Alastor allowed Muggles in his house. He'd never said anything against Muggles before, and he hadn't seemed displeased when Severus' had spent the day at Brian's, but that was different than inviting a Muggle into his home. Oh, Severus had better sense than to allow Brian into either of their rooms or the study, the books on the shelves would have raised some pretty serious questions even if nothing else did, but that didn't mean that Alastor would be happy with him.

Brian hadn't seemed to think it was strange that he'd only been invited into the living room, though, and despite Severus' concern when he saw the books that he and Alastor had left out, Brian hadn't even looked at them. Or at least he hadn't looked close enough to read the titles which was the important thing. His focus had been on the stack of games Severus brought out of the study after the groceries had been put away, and so far they'd made it through Stratego which had been a close race, Scrabble which had not—spelling didn't seem to be Brian's strongest suit—and then this latest game of Cluedo that proved that Severus had a weakness as well. It still didn't make sense to him why he never came up with the murderer first, but….

"Are you hungry?" Severus asked as he and Brian began to collect the pieces. "I picked up some biscuits at the store earlier." His stomach was definitely telling him that it was time for a snack.

"Sure," Brian said, standing to follow Severus into the kitchen before Severus could find an excuse for him not to. Fortunately, like the sitting room, things in the kitchen looked basically Muggle. Well, as long as Brian didn't open Severus' potion cupboard or look too closely at the preserver, anyway.

"You really don't have a telly anywhere?" Brain asked as Severus pulled the biscuits back out of the cupboard he'd put them away in and put tea on quickly.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I guess Alastor's just never bought one." Actually, Severus doubted that it had ever even occurred to Alastor, assuming he even knew what a television was, but that probably wasn't the thing to say. "And I'm away at school a lot of the year anyway so I don't really think about it."

"Wait, is he your da or isn't he?" Brian asked with a frown, taking a biscuit. "At first I thought he was, but you call him by his first name." He tilted his head. "Is he your stepfather?"

"No. I…he's my guardian." Severus hadn't really meant to go into his living situation, but calling Alastor 'Alastor' made it pretty obvious. "Like I said, my mum died last year, and…." He trailed off with a shrug. He wasn't getting near his grandparents. Or his father, for that matter.

Fortunately, although it wasn't what Severus had actually intended, mentioning his mother seemed to make Brian uncomfortable, and he munched his biscuit and didn't say anything else until the tea was brewed and they were headed back into the sitting room with their cups. "Want to try a different game?" Brian asked. He glanced at the watch on his arm and then frowned. "Except it will have to be a really quick one, because Mum will be expecting me home soon."

"Um…." Severus was debating whether he had any 'quick' games—Monopoly and Stratego certainly weren't, and while his Wizarding cards were, he obviously couldn't pull them out—when he heard front the door open behind him, and he turned. "Alastor?"

"Hello, youngling. Younglings," Alastor corrected as he entered.

"Alastor, this is Brian," Severus said. Brian whose last name he still couldn't remember, unfortunately. He really needed to figure that out. "Brian, Alastor Moody."

"Hello," Brian greeted.

There was surprise on Brian's face, although he was obviously trying to hide it, and Severus wasn't sure if it was because of Alastor's clothes—not obviously Wizarding, but certainly not typical Muggle garb either, especially not the bright red cloak—or his crutch, or what. He was suddenly glad that Alastor had come in the front rather than flooing home, though. It would have been just a little difficult to explain how Alastor had got inside when they had no back entrance.

Alastor had to have noticed Brian's surprise as well, but he pretended not to as he returned the greeting and then hung up his cloak and glanced at Severus. "Don't suppose there's enough tea for one more cup?"

Severus nodded. "I'll get you one."

"Good lad. And are you on holiday from school as well?" he heard Alastor ask Brian as he turned for the kitchen.

"Until next week."

"Enjoying the break."

"Well, I've mostly spent it revising. We have O-levels at the end of this year. I guess Severus must too, though."

He'd mentioned those before, Severus thought, and whether Alastor knew what they were or not, he made a noise of agreement. Which was probably right, all things considered. He had OWLs, anyway, which were certainly important tests in the Wizarding world.

"Thank you," Alastor said, accepting a cup from Severus.

"I'm sorry to run, but I should probably be going," Brian said finishing his tea and looking at Severus. "Like I said, Mum will be expecting me soon."

Severus nodded and took the cup with a nod of thanks.

"Thanks for inviting me over. You said your holiday ends next week too, right?"

Another nod.

"Maybe I'll see you before then, then." He turned back to Alastor. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Moody."

"You as well."

Severus shut the door behind him and then looked cautiously at Alastor. Alastor hadn't _seemed_ upset that Brian was over, but….

"Did you have a good day, lad?" Alastor asked as he moved towards his chair.

"Yes, sir."

Alastor paused and turned back towards Severus, frowning slightly. "Did something happen that I should know about?"

"Hm?" Severus shook his head quickly. "No. I just…is it okay that I invited Brian over?"

"Of course. You should certainly have friends over if you want to. I worry a bit that you don't spend enough time around other young ones when you're home." His frown deepened. "Although I expect I ought to check the concealment spells on the books and such and see if there are any that need them given that there haven't been very many Muggles in this place over the years. The shelves are already warded, but it might be best to layer in some concealment there too, just to be safe." A pause. "You know, I'm not sure if there have ever been _any_ Muggles here, actually. At least not since I moved in."

That was pretty normal for a Wizarding household, but Severus was more interested in one of his first comments. "The books have concealment spells on them?" It sounded like something Alastor might do, but something about the way Alastor had said it made it sound like he hadn't been the one to put them on.

"Most of them should, aye. It's been standard on Wizarding books for a few hundred years now. After all, if someone accidentally drops one unspelled book in the wrong place it might be an annoyance to deal with but hardly the end of the world. On the other hand, if Wizarding books started turning up in Muggle London every other week…." He shook his head. "The Ministry would have no time for anything but running about Obliviating people."

"Hm." Severus hadn't realized that—had never even thought about it before—but it made sense. Students on their way to Hogwarts probably left half a dozen books scattered around the train station alone every year. At _least_ that many, knowing his classmates.

"So have you lads been playing games all day?" Alastor asked as he dropped down to sit in his chair. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah." And he had. It was a little strange given how well he got along with people his own age at Hogwarts. "But we've just been playing for the afternoon. I went to the market after lunch and ran into him and his mum on my way home."

"Ah. And you remembered to leave a note when you went out?"

Severus nodded quickly. He definitely knew better than to forget that.

"Good lad."

"So how was the trial?" Severus asked, putting Brian's empty cup aside and retrieving his tea before taking a seat on the couch.

Alastor shook his head. "I'm sure there are some perfectly nice solicitors out there, but the ones I run into at trials always remind me of my brother. I finished my testimony today and am glad to be done with it, but Gideon has to go back tomorrow." Another shake. "We might be having guests for dinner depending on how long it runs."

Severus shrugged. "I bought extra chicken, and I know we have rice." And he liked having the Prewetts around.

* * *

"Think we ought to see how well they hold up against a challenge?" Alastor asked. "From what Fabian's message said, we've still got a bit of time left before we need to get back and start dinner. Apparently this solicitor is annoying Gideon even more than he was me."

Severus nodded quickly. He and Alastor had planned to come out here and work on the warding spells this morning, but their last chess game last night had run long, and then Marlene had floo-called Alastor about something right after breakfast, and then Severus had got caught up in one of his non-class-assigned history of magic books, and as a result they hadn't made it out here until after lunch. Which had still left them several hours, but not exactly all day.

"All right," Alastor said with a nod. "Over there, I think." The two of them moved around the edge of the wards that Severus had anchored to a few rocks that stood up out of the grass, taking up spots a good fifty feet back, and Alastor nodded to the barely-visible barrier. "What's the strongest curse that you know?"

Severus opened his mouth to respond, and then the obvious occurred to him and he shut his mouth again. Some of the curses he'd picked up from his grandparents, willingly or otherwise, probably weren't the kind of things that his guardian would want to hear about.

"Lad?" Alastor asked.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "A few things."

"Severus?"

Severus lifted his chin before Alastor could do it for him—he knew perfectly well that Alastor expected him to look him in the eye when he asked a question, even if it made Severus squirm sometimes—and shrugged again. "I guess I might have learned some spells from my grandparents." Alastor's jaw tightened fractionally, and Severus' eyes dropped back to the ground. He'd been having fun this afternoon, too.

"Suppose I'll be happier if I don't ask what sort of curses, won't I?" Alastor asked with a sigh, and then he hooked Severus' chin and tilted his head back up before shaking his head. "Well, never mind. Can hardly fault you for something that I very much doubt was your idea."

Severus didn't have a response for that so he kept his mouth shut.

"Do you know a standard blasting curse?" Alastor asked.

Severus nodded quickly, relieved that it was a question he could answer without feeling guilty. That _was_ covered at Hogwarts. Even if, technically, he'd learned it before then.

Alastor nodded and then gestured at the wards. "Cast it just as strong as you can, then."

Severus was pleased that the barrier held through his spell, but when it ripple a little under the blasting spell that Alastor sent behind his, he grimaced. "Damn." He'd thought he'd done it right, too."

"Nothing wrong with your spell," Alastor said with a shake of his head. "Remember, warding spells are only as strong as their anchors, and while those rocks might be big, they're hardly boulders. If you really wanted to hold against an attack you'd anchor it within the earth itself, but that takes a bit of practice, and we don't need to be tearing up the field today. Especially since Muggles are likely to stumble upon it now that the weather's getting a bit better, and you would not believe the rumors that that sort of thing starts." He gestured towards the wards again. "Why don't you try a precise blast and see if you can drill through them?"

They ran through several different spells intended to break wards, and when none of them caused more disturbance than that first ripple, Alastor patted his back lightly. "Well done, youngling. Would you like to try the unanchored version before we go?"

"That's like the first step where I've got the spell on my wand but haven't moved it to the anchor I picked?" Severus checked.

"A bit like that, aye. Technically they're not _un_anchored, they're wizard-anchored, so when you're casting the spell you do the anchoring at the same time with your focus on your wand. Though mind, like those rocks could be knocked, you could too. The technique is used more for testing than anything—I certainly won't be blasting so hard when you're on the receiving end—but in a battle remember that you're better off using proper shielding than unanchored wards."

Severus nodded quickly.

"All right, show me you can cast it."

Severus cast the spell carefully, and Alastor nodded. "Nicely done. Now cancel it, and cancel the wards on the rocks while you're at it. No sense just leaving them standing there. And…." He glanced around. "All right, you go stand back there. Bring your wards up, and tell me when you're ready."

Severus moved back and brought his wand up and then paused. "This isn't going to cause any trouble with underage magic, right?" he checked quickly. Alastor had done...something...to Severus' wand when they'd arrived that he'd said would keep the Ministry from differentiating their magics while they were out here together, but Severus didn't know how closely 'together' was defined. And while he didn't think he'd be in too much trouble since Alastor was right here with him, he didn't want that kind of damper on his holiday.

"Twice this distance would be questionable, but as we are you're fine," Alastor assured him.

Severus nodded and concentrated hard as he brought the unanchored wards up again. He liked it when Alastor worked with him, and he wanted to get it right. The wards shimmered into place in front of him, and he looked past them to Alastor. "I'm ready."

Alastor brought up his wand up and around in a spell that Severus couldn't make out from this distance, and Severus' stomach twisted suddenly and the wards wavered around him.


End file.
